The Red Strokes
by Upsgirl88
Summary: Caryl AU - Daryl and Carol are actors and The Walking Dead is the show they star in together. While in this AU the character's back story is different Daryl and Carol may have a lot of similarities with their characters - including a close friendship and a building affection for one another… as more than friends.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Okay… sigh… I feel this requires an explanation. I have received numerous messages and emails from people who read the start of The Red Strokes on Tumblr and wanted to read the rest. I have been unable to fulfil that request since I removed all my RPF, but today I thought well maybe… maybe this is a way I can sort of allow those people the chance to see how the fic ended, while at the same time making it Caryl. So yes, this is weird and I'm not sure how it's going to work. This may be a stupid idea, a stupid concept, and just altogether insane… but for those people who wanted to know how the red strokes ends… this is the best I can do for you. Feel free to tell me I'm crazy or I'm not crazy or whatever you're feeling :)_

 **Chapter 1**

Once they were safely out of ear shot of their fans Carol giggled. Daryl shot her a look. "Did you see the dirty looks I was getting from all those women?" She had arrived to the set on the back of his motorcycle. The location had been leaked and there was a huge crowd of fans gathered at the entrance. She noticed the evil glares the second she slid off the bike and removed her helmet.

"Oh come on, there were lots of guys there who were wishing they were in my spot," Daryl shot back with a shy, but flirty smile.

When he smiled like that she understood why every girl back by the gate was weak in the knees. Her coworker was undeniably one of the sexiest men on the planet. He was also charismatic, charming and just incredibly nice. He was a good guy, plain and simple.

Carol considered herself lucky to call Daryl a friend. He always knew how to make her laugh and his constant, yet bashful flirts, and touchy feely nature made her feel sexy even if it was essentially harmless and meant nothing. He was complex though, that was for sure. The way he could be confident and shy at once made her dizzy sometimes.

"So I'll see you in a few hours," Daryl said, giving her a peck on the temple. They had worked so much together over the years that sometimes it surprised her when Daryl would kiss her or touch her because when they were in character - 'Daryl the TV guy' wasn't like that at all. She had to laugh every time she thought about how ridiculous and confusing it was that the execs had named all the characters after the actors who got the role. It was certainly something unique about their show, but sometimes made interviews a bit difficult.

Carol nodded and waved bye. They had both been called back to reshoot a couple short scenes. The filming likely wouldn't take long but wardrobe and makeup certainly would. The transformation to dirty, sweaty zombie slayers took time.

The day passed quickly, as it always seemed to on set. Carol loved her job and the people she worked with. But even with the short reshoots she was tired by the end of the day. Daryl found her once he was done and they got ready to leave.

"Want to go for a drink?" he asked. Thankfully security had cleared up the fans or she would be waiting a long time to get Daryl past the screaming women.

Carol sighed, "I could really use a cup of coffee, though I doubt that's the kind of drink you had in mind."

"Nope, but it's fine. I know the perfect place." He got on the bike and steadied it while she took her spot. They roared off into the night and she had no idea where they were headed.

Daryl pulled into a parking garage, found his spot and then got off. "Your place?" Carol asked with a tight lipped smile after removing her helmet.

"Yep, I make a mean cup of java and I have a fully stocked bar. Oh, and a shower if you're interested?" he waggled his eyebrows flirtatiously and Carol rolled her eyes. This is what it was like between them though. Sometimes Daryl had game and sometimes she would see his cheeks turn pink. She knew the flirt was harmless though, as usual. Though she did plan on taking him up on the use of his shower. Even if she didn't have a change of clothes it would be nice to rinse off the dirt, makeup, and sweat.

Turned out Daryl's condo actually had 2 showers and after leading her to the guest bath and finding her towels he left to use his shower in the en suite. For all the times she had showered in hotel rooms across the country it still felt odd to shower at someone else's house. When Carol stepped out and went to reach for a towel she noticed a clean t-shirt sitting on top. Her eyes widened when she realized that Daryl must have snuck in at some point while she was showing to deliver it. She blushed, wondering how she didn't notice, and hoping the glass had been fully steamed before he made his appearance.

Carol got dressed and wandered out to his living room. She had been there once before at a party Daryl hosted over a year ago. It was a pretty wild night. Most of the cast hadn't seen each other for weeks as shooting had wrapped and they had a great night of drinks with crazy friends.

While he was busy in the kitchen getting drinks Carol got out her phone and started to browse. He came back and handed her a steaming mug. She grinned and said thanks, taking a sip. "Hey, have you heard of Caryl RPF?" Carol asked setting the mug down.

He shook his head and plunked down beside her. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Tumblr," she replied flashing the screen in his direction. "There's a special Caryl tag devoted to you and I. Caryl2"

Daryl looked a bit confused, "I knew we were called Caryl, like our characters I mean. But what's this RPF thing?"

Carol sighed, it wasn't the easiest thing to explain, especially when she was tired. Once again she cursed TPTB for not being more creative with the character names. "Okay, so there's TV Caryl and there's 'us' Caryl. They think you and I are together." She looked at him with a smile, "there are even stories about us fucking, which is what the RPF thing is. Real Person Fiction."

"Wait, how do they know we're fucking?" he asked.

"We're not fucking," Carol laughed.

"Oh right," he snorted and moved closer. "Well are any of them any good?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You want to read one?"

Daryl shrugged "Why not? Our fans are pretty talented at most things. I bet writing is no exception."

"Well, there is this one they keep talking about. Let me see if I can find the link...Ok got it," she replied after scrolling a bit on her touch screen.

"Just highlight it and have Siri read to us," Daryl suggested. Carol turned up the volume a bit and set the phone on the coffee table to listen.

When the first chapter ended they looked at each other. "For the record, I have never masturbated, thinking about you, in the shower," Daryl said. "In bed, maybe, but never in the shower," he joked. Carol smacked him but laughed and he blushed at his admission.

"I think I'm going to need something stronger than coffee for Chapter 2," she sighed. "Got any good wine?"

Daryl stood, "red or white?"

"Both," she said, not entirely kidding.

He returned moments later with 2 bottles and 2 glasses. Daryl poured her a glass of Red to start. He poured his own glass and resumed his position beside her, entirely too close for most people, though Carol was used to fact that Daryl likes to get in your space sometimes, and she never minded.

"Ready?" she leaned forward and started Siri reading chapter 2.

"Holy fuck," Daryl muttered, several times. Carol felt her own face burning as they listened. At the same time it was fuelling something inside her and she wondered if the story was turning Daryl on too. As creepy as it was to hear an explicit sex scene about themselves she had to admit it was making her incredibly horny.

When it ended she took a long sip of wine before making eye contact. "For the record, I don't have any piercings below my ears." She laughed, "but I'm seriously considering getting some."

Daryl snorted. "I'm a fucking stallion. That was awesome." He tipped back the last of his wine and poured them both more. Carol knew she should have declined, but the wine was a great distraction from the fire burning low in her belly. "I'm kinda liking this RPF thing. Are there any more?" She gave him a look, but he was pumped. Daryl grinned, "We should totally do some crazy pose and tweet it, then see how fast it's all over tumblr."

"I don't know..."

Daryl nudged her, "Oh come on, we do it all the time for the Carylers."

"Okay," Carol gave in. She always gave in so easy to his crazy schemes. "What have you got in mind?"

He smirked, "How about a Peletier tongue shot? And I'll Tweet it from my account? That should do the trick."

So Carol found herself hanging out her tongue, imitating one of Daryl's signature poses that his fans often requested, while he snapped her photo. He tweeted it and within seconds there were favorites and retweets.

"Okay, check Tumblr now," he said after a few minutes.

Carol opened the app on her phone and went to the Caryl2 tag she'd been looking at before. "You have got to be kidding me," she said in awe. The photo had already been blogged by 4 different people and there were comments and reblogs on all of them. Carol laughed and blushed as she read a few of them. "CP can lick me with that tongue any day. Hmm, what are Caryl2 up to tonight? Are they trying to kill us?"

They looked at each other again and laughed. They both adored their fans fiercely and weren't laughing at them, just at the craziness of the world they were caught up in since joining the cast of The Walking Dead.

Carol hadn't noticed that Daryl had filled up her wine glass again until after she had taken another sip. "Um, I guess it's going to be a cab ride home for me hmm?" she said, as Daryl drank more wine. She didn't have a vehicle but even if she did, neither of them were in any condition to drive. Coffee with Bailey's and 3 glasses of wine for her, and a shot of something earlier and at least 3 glasses of wine for him meant neither was getting behind the wheel.

"Why don't you just stay?" he suggested. "It's late. It would be a long and expensive cab ride." He used the excuse as if money was a huge deal, which was obviously amusing.

"I don't know. Probably not a good idea," she replied hesitantly.

"You can have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch. No big deal," he shrugged. Once again she found herself giving in to his crazy schemes. Must be the alcohol, she thought. "But there's one thing we have to do before we go to sleep," Daryl said, standing up.

When Carol stood, she realized just how much she had drank. It took a minute to get her bearings before she was ready to walk. Once again she had no idea where she was going as Daryl took her hand and led her from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: I just wanted to say that I'm very glad that some of you who were looking to read the rest of this have found it. Thank you all for reading. This is just a short chapter today, but a nice way to start to build up the sexual tension :)_

 **Chapter 2**

"Really?" Carol snickered when she realized where Daryl was taking her. "You can't beat me sober so you wanna try while I've got a buzz on?"

"I need any advantage I can get," he replied, handing her a pool cue. "Maybe we should add an incentive?"

"What, like strip-billiards?" she joked.

"Are you saying you want to see me naked?" he flirted back, knowing he was highly unlikely to win a single game.

"Yeah, you have a point. You'd be lucky to even get your shirt back from me before I had you playing bare assed." The wine always loosened her up a wee bit more than usual. Hell, Daryl loosened her up a lot more than usual. She was beginning to realize it was truly a deadly combination.

Carol was backed against the pool table with nowhere to go as he approached. She found herself holding her breath as he leaned in close. She never knew what to expect with him. It could be anything from a quick peck, to a hug, to a full lick on the face. Daryl leaned in and whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickled and raised goosebumps all over her, "loser cooks dinner tomorrow. I'll even let you break." He pulled back and gave her a sexy grin. Daryl flipped open his hand and displayed the cube of chalk, "better get your cue ready."

Two can play this game, she thought. Carol took the chalk from his hand while running her other hand up and down the shaft of the pool cue a couple of times. She stared at him, tongue darting out to wet her lips, then bit her bottom lip seductively while she applied chalk to the tip of the cue. When she was done she leaned close and blew the loose chalk off, giving him one more saucy look before getting into position to break.

Carol sunk 2 balls off the break and another 3 before finally missing a shot allowing Daryl a chance. He sunk 2 of his own and only the 8-ball remained. There was one way to win, but so many ways to lose. He had an easy shot set up and made the call. He gave her a cocky grin before lining up and firing. She started to giggle before the play was even over. He had hit the cue ball too high to create the backspin he needed to keep it from following the 8-ball right into the pocket.

"Fuck my life," Daryl muttered, watching the white ball trail after the black right into the pocket with a thunk.

"Ohhhh so close," Carol teased him.

He shot her a glare but smiled. "Guess I'm cooking," he shrugged, taking a drink directly from the wine bottle he had brought. Daryl offered it to her. She took the bottle. It had definitely been a long time since she had drank any sort of alcohol straight from the bottle, other than the occasional beer or cooler. She tipped it up and let the sweet liquid flow into her mouth. "Rematch? Just one more?" Daryl asked as she handed the bottle back.

One more turned into several more and the completion of the bottle of wine. Carol quickly realized she was far beyond buzzed when it came time to navigate her way to bed. Daryl could obviously handle the liquor far better than her, he seemed perfectly fine. She took a step and stumbled but steadied herself putting a hand on the pool table. "Woah, looks like someone is a little tipsy," he laughed.

"I'm fine," she replied attempting another step and wondering why mere minutes ago she was completely coordinated but now her legs would not cooperate.

When she let go of the pool table and tried another step the first one was fine but the second, not so much. Carol stumbled again but luckily Daryl was there to catch her. His arms held her steady and her hands were braced against his solid chest. Her heart was pounding and she was afraid to look up, afraid of what she might see or what she might do. She could feel the heat radiating off his body and her breath caught in her throat. His scent was intoxicating and it made her feel far more drunk than the wine ever could.

Slowly she tilted her head up and saw Daryl looking down at her. The same fear and desire she felt was in his eyes too. Her eyes drifted to his lips, those beautiful lips that were just asking to be kissed. She wasn't sure if she had moved or if it had been him but they were closer, so close they were breathing the same air. Carol felt dizzy but it wasn't the wine. Her heart continued to pound in her chest and something stirred inside her in a way she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Daryl's heart was pounding too, she could feel it under her hand. One of them needed to give in or back away but neither moved. Finally, just when Carol was sure she was going to either explode or faint, he spun her and backed her up against the wall. She was trapped between the cool drywall and Daryl's hot body. The contrast of the two was intense and pleasurable. He had her arms pinned above her head with their fingers interlocked.

Daryl was studying her lips, much like she had studied his moments earlier. Just fucking kiss me already, Carol screamed in her head. She was ready, she wanted him so bad she was aching all over.

The moment their lips finally touched Carol closed her eyes and concentrated on just how incredible it felt. Daryl's lips were soft, warm, and wet. She felt her body respond instantly to him. He tasted like the wine they had been drinking and she craved more. She parted her lips and invited him in, groaning as his tongue slipped inside her mouth. Not that she had any doubt, but Daryl was an amazing kisser. After filming season 2 she had always assumed their characters would kiss and she had wondered more than a few times what it would be like to kiss him.

Carol could tell he was aroused as Daryl pressed his hips into her, while deepening the kiss even more. The room was spinning yet her body felt more alive than ever. He pulled back, catching her bottom lip with his teeth and biting gently before releasing her.

He stared into her eyes, then without warning swept her off her feet into his arms. Carol had been in his arms once before, while they shot a scene during season 3. As professional as she was at work it had been hard to just relax and let him carry her weight. This time it was different, she was comfortable as he carried her to the bedroom.

Daryl lay her on the bed, hovering over her for a moment before moving in to kiss her again. He slipped a hand up under her shirt and fondled a breast through her bra. Carol arched her back, wishing his hand was on her bare skin.

He suddenly ended the kiss and sat up on the edge of the bed with a frustrated sigh, "What the fuck are we doing?"

The spell was broken and her sanity returned with a vengeance. She knew they were headed into dangerous territory. "Uh, yeah, maybe we should get some sleep?" she suggested meekly.

He looked at her and sighed again. "Yeah, sleep sounds good." She wanted so badly to reach out and touch him, but Carol knew his guard was still down and her willpower was nowhere to be found. If she touched him it might start everything all over again. We're friends, co-workers, she reminded herself silently.

A tiny meow interrupted her thoughts as Daryl's cat leapt onto the bed and rubbed up against her. "Wow," he commented. "That cat has never liked anyone other than me before."

Carol sat up and pet the cat. Count Furzilla was beautiful, even if he had the weirdest name she had ever heard for a pet. He started purring at her touch, then curled up in a comfy ball beside her. "Looks like you won't be sleeping alone," Daryl said, standing up. "Night," he said with a wistful grin that left her wishing he would come running back to her.

"Night," she whispered, laying back onto his pillow, falling asleep quickly with the scent of him filling her senses.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl gently closed the bedroom door behind him, thinking perhaps one extra barrier would keep him from turning back. It wasn't often there was a willing woman laying in his bed that he wasn't fucking. In fact, he was pretty sure it had never happened before. And it was taking every bit of restraint he had to make sure it wasn't going to happen this time.

All he really wanted to do was go back in there, strip Carol naked and explore every inch of her with his tongue. A throb in his pants was egging him on, screaming at him to turn back, but he kept walking.

It might have been different if she wasn't drunk. If her mind had been clear and she still wanted him Daryl would have fucked her. Hell, he would have fucked her all night, slept half the day and fucked her again. It wasn't like he had never thought about it before.

He had thought about it many times. But Carol was special. She wasn't like the women he usually slept with. He usually picked the young ones for more than just their delightful bodies. They were immature, no strings attached, and most weren't ready for commitment. Daryl knew when it was time for him to settle down, to really settle, it would be with someone mature, witty, and someone who could match him quip for quip.

When he reached the living room Daryl stripped off his shirt and pants. He usually slept nude but opted to leave his underwear on. He quickly threw a sheet and blanket down on the leather couch and hopped into his bed.

He couldn't stop thinking about Carol. The way she smelled, the way she tasted, the way her breast had felt in his hand and the way those little sighs and groans of pleasure had escaped her lips. Daryl found his hand sliding down towards his crotch. He knew there was only one way he was going to get his dick to calm down. Well, there was another option but he had already ruled that out.

He hadn't been lying earlier, this wasn't the first time he had thought about her with his dick in his hand. She had laughed like she thought he was joking and thinking about her laugh made him even harder.

Daryl was really getting into it when a voice interrupted him. "Hey," Carol said with a smile.

He quickly let go of his cock and tucked it back in his underwear, blushing with embarrassment. "What the? Fuck, Carol? What are you doing?"

"What were you doing?" she snickered. Daryl felt his face flush even more. "Don't worry," she giggled. "I did it too."

He was pretty sure he was just going to come right in his underwear like a horny teenager at the thought of Carol playing with herself in his bed. She needed to get back to that bed before his last shred of willpower dissolved. She was obviously still drunk, it wasn't even half an hour since he'd left her. She never would have admitted that delightful detail while sober.

"I was sleeping, but I woke up when I rolled on the cat," she giggled again. "He moved way over to the other side, but stayed." Daryl noticed she had taken off her pants and was wearing only his t-shirt. His heart pounded harder. "Anyway, I couldn't get back to sleep so I, well you know, and now I'm thirsty."

"There's water in the fridge," Daryl said. Hoping she would just get the water and get back to his room out of sight. She wandered into the kitchen and returned moments later with a water bottle in her hand.

"Okay, I'm going back to bed," she quipped sweetly. "Unless there's something you want me to help you with?"

Holy fuck, it's the wine talking, Daryl told himself. "Christ Carol, just go get some sleep," he suggested, against his will. Her hand on his dick was pretty much the only thing he wanted. Well that, or her mouth, or... He forced the thoughts out of his mind and focused on getting her to leave. "Night," he said, hoping she would start walking.

Instead she absentmindedly lifted her shirt to scratch her side, revealing her cute lacy panties underneath. "You're killing me here, seriously," he groaned.

Carol looked down, realizing what she had done. "Oh whoops," she smiled at him and waved. "Okay, nighty night then." And finally she was gone.

Daryl returned to the task at hand certain it would be fairly quick by that point. His mind wandered to the glimpse of red lace and he imagined how they would look with her bent over in front of him. And then how Carol would look when he took them off. Before long he was through and finally feeling like he could get some sleep.

He woke the next morning when Count leapt onto his chest. Daryl groaned and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them the cat was staring at him, purring softly. Daryl glared at him, but scratched behind his ears. "Traitor," he muttered. "She even tried to make a kitty pancake out of you and you didn't leave?" The cat purred louder and he was sure if cats smiled he was definitely getting a smug smirk.

Carol was still sleeping so he got dressed, brushed his teeth in the guest bath and left to pick them up breakfast. When he returned with an assortment of stuff from the local bakery and 2 cups of coffee, he heard the shower running, in his room.

There was a buzzing coming from the living room. Carol's iPhone was on the end table, she was getting a call. Without thinking he picked it up and answered, "Hello?"

"Oh, hi," a male voice he didn't recognize replied. "Is Carol there?"

Daryl had no idea who it was but felt a little pang of jealousy that he quickly shrugged off. "She's still sleeping, can I take a message?"

The voice hesitated before speaking, "Yeah, um, just tell her Alex called to see if we're still on for this afternoon. Thanks."

"Sure," Daryl said, trying to be polite. He hung up, then looked at the phone, "Fuck you Alex," he muttered.

"Morning," Carol said, walking up behind him. "I showered in your room, I hope you don't mind. I woke with a killer headache and just needed to get in right away."

He turned, still holding her phone. "Of course, no problem," he replied. Daryl handed her the phone. "It was ringing and I answered without even thinking," he apologized. "It was some du..." He almost said douche but caught himself, "some dude named Alex wanting to know if you were still meeting him this afternoon."

"Oh shit," Carol said, taking the phone. "I forgot all about that."

"I guess we can do dinner another night," Daryl tried not to sound disappointed.

"Well we could, unless..." she paused in thought. "unless you're up for a late dinner." She smiled at him, "but I'm sure you already have plans late on a Saturday night."

"Actually, I don't. Late works for me." Besides, I would cancel my plans for you, he thought bitterly. Daryl silently chided himself for being a jerk. "Dinner at 9 work?"

"Yeah, that's perfect." She smiled at him again.

"Come on, I went and got breakfast and coffee," Daryl said, leading her to the kitchen.

They ate breakfast quietly. He assumed she may have been a bit fuzzy about everything that occurred the night before but it was all fresh in his mind. If she remembered anything she was really good at hiding it. But she was an amazing actress so it wouldn't be surprising in the least.

Daryl drove her home, in his car. "Thanks," she said sweetly, climbing out of the car. "See you tonight at 9." Carol hesitated, only briefly, but he caught a look in her eye that assured him she was looking forward to dinner.

Once she was inside he peeled away and headed for the supermarket. Daryl had every intention of making it a dinner she would never forget.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Carol stepped into her condo it was already after 12. She quickly called Alex to let him know she would still be there. They were meeting for coffee at her favourite little cafe at 3pm and then going to watch the sunset off the local pier. She expected he might ask her to dinner after, but now that she had plans with Daryl it was off the table. Luckily, being the winter months, sunset was early enough she should have plenty of time to get home and change for dinner. Her dog Cookie had greeted her eagerly at the door. After giving him some puppy love and making her phone call she decided she should take him for a walk before she got ready to leave.

The pup was full of energy, even though she had someone who came by to let him out, feed him and take him for walks when she was away. He obviously missed her too and Carol felt a pang of guilt that she was leaving him alone again for most of the afternoon and evening.

She took him to the dog park so he could run around. Carol watched him jump and play with a big yellow lab for a few minutes before she allowed her mind to drift back to the night before. The image of Daryl masturbating was burned into her brain and Carol still could not believe she had admitted she had done the same in his bed. She couldn't even believe she had actually done it to begin with. She had fallen asleep right after he left but when she almost squished the cat she couldn't get herself back to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about their kiss and the feel of his strong hands intertwined with her own above her head. Or the way he had pressed his body so firmly against her that she could feel how ready he was. Just thinking about it had made her so crazy with desire she had slipped off her pants and slid a hand inside her underwear. Carol had imagined it was his hand touching her, feeling her slick and wet, and making her come.

The memory made her flush and she quickly remembered she was out in public. She tried to refocus on Cookie playing with his new friends but she couldn't help but think about that morning. It took every bit of acting skill she had to not let on that she remembered everything that had happened. And it took a great deal more skill to put the desire to kiss him again out of her mind. Carol wasn't sure how dinner was going to go. Perhaps some time apart for the afternoon would allow her senses to return.

It was kind of amusing that Daryl had answered the phone when Alex called. Carol was sure she had detected just a tiny hint of jealousy, which, coming from a man who could easily have any woman he wanted, was also amusing. She didn't read too much into it though. She actually figured it was more about someone interrupting the plans he had, than jealousy.

Carol whistled and Cookie obediently came trotting back to her. She hooked up his leash and they walked home. She had just enough time to get ready and head to the cafe to meet Alex.

She hadn't seen him in a long time and they had a lot of catching up to do. Carol was thankful for the distraction even though it still took a great deal of effort to give him her full attention.

Watching the sunset wasn't the big romantic moment it sounded like, though it was kinda their thing. Alex was a good friend and every time he came to town they hooked up. Their day always seemed to end with watching the sunset so they just made it part of their plan. They had only been intimate once. Unfortunately, it had been the last time he was in town and Carol hoped he wasn't expecting it to happen again.

Alex walked her up to say good night. He lingered at the doorway after she unlocked the door. "So are you seeing anyone right now?" he asked.

"Yes," she lied, not wanting to give him any hope that he was coming inside.

"Figured that. Must be the guy who answered your phone this morning," he smiled at her. "Lucky, lucky man."

Carol didn't correct him, she simply let Alex kiss her cheek and promise to let her know when he'd be back in town. When he was gone she shut the door and checked her watch. It was 8 already, which only left her an hour to get ready and be at Daryl's place by 9.

She debated whether a second shower was a good idea or waste of valuable time. Carol opted to jump in and have a fast one. The good thing about short hair was how quick it could be done. And she wore fairly subtle make up, so that was fast as well.

Carol questioned everything she put on from her bra and panties to the low cut top and long skirt she chose. The accessories at least were easy; that was her area of expertise. Several necklaces, dangly earrings, and a couple bangle bracelets later and she was ready. She reached for her car keys, she loved driving at night. But she changed her mind and set them down, opting for a cab. Chances were there would be alcohol with dinner, there always was with Daryl. They had many a night with shots of whiskey, wine like the night before, and even a memorable evening with a bottle of tequila.

With the memory of all those nights and how easy and fun they had been she couldn't figure out why she was so nervous about meeting Daryl for dinner. We're friends, she reminded herself. We've been friends for years, nothing's changed... Other than the fact that we've kissed, and he's touched my boobs, and I walked in on him jerking off, and I told him what I did in his bed, and he saw me in my underwear... Carol sighed and wondered how the hell she was going to convince herself nothing had changed.

She went downstairs to meet the cab and by 855 she was in the lobby of Daryl's building. She walked up to the security desk. "Hi, can you let Mr. Dixon know that Carol is here?" The security guard made the call and nodded to her to go ahead. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the elevator.

Daryl was waiting, leaning in the door frame. She took a minute to appreciate his beauty. He wore a simple light grey button down with a pair of jeans and bare feet. His muscular arms were crossed in front of him and he was smiling. Carol had always admired how wide his shoulders were in contrast to his narrow hips. There was something so appealing about that v-shape on a man and Daryl displayed it perfectly.

"Hey," she said, brushing past him and heading inside. She took off her boots and opted to removed her socks as well. Carol adored being barefoot and since Daryl had already set the precedence she just went with it.

He always greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and this time she was sure he lingered, much longer than usual. Carol decided the second shower was definitely a good idea. She knew she smelled great. But so did he and the scent of his light cologne stayed with her for a long time.

Carol was pleasantly surprised at the set up. He had a table set for 2 with candles flickering in the middle and a bottle of champagne on ice off to one side. She loved bubbly, and didn't get it nearly as often as she would have liked. Leaving the car at home was also a great idea.

"Hey, it's almost ready but can you go put on a CD while I finish up?" he asked.

"Sure," Carol replied, heading into the living room to scan his vast collection. She smiled at the wide variety and eclectic artists displayed before her. Many of them she had never heard of and many of them surprised her. Carol opted for Nora Jones, something she knew was soft and subtle. Good dinner music for sure.

Daryl appeared as she hit play. "It's ready," he said. Carol studied his face, she knew he liked to cook but had no idea how good he was. He seemed pretty confident in his abilities as usual.

"Oh my god, this is amazing," she exclaimed after taking a bite of the pasta dish he had prepared. After he held her chair and she sat down, Daryl had popped the cork on the champagne and then served them a small salad to start. He brought the main course out next, butternut squash ravioli in a maple brown butter sauce. "Did you really make this?" she said, trying not to hurt his feelings by sounding too shocked.

Daryl took a sip from his glass and nodded. "From scratch," he added after swallowing.

"Wow, I'm impressed. Thank god you lost the bet or we could be eating Chinese takeout from the container at my house," she joked. Carol was a fairly good cook but nothing she made compared to what he had cooked.

After the main course they weren't ready for dessert yet, so they retired to the living room to relax. She noticed that Daryl had actually sat still through most of dinner, which was unusual. He was always moving around. But it meant he had a lot of energy to burn afterwards and it started with him talking. Not just chatting, but talking in the excited, exuberant way that made him so captivating to interview.

"Ok, so true story," Daryl said, plunking down beside her. He was facing her and their knees were touching. "I was at the grocery store this afternoon and a fan comes running up. So I'm all like, here we go with the usual I love you, can I get a picture, follow me on twitter thing." He kept touching her leg as he told the story. It was typical Daryl, but for some reason she was far more aware of it than usual. "But no, she like peeks in my cart and then looks me straight in the eye and says, you cooking dinner for Carol?"

"Oh my God," Carol snorted.

"I know right?" he continued. "So once I like picked my jaw up off the floor I said bye and took off." She was laughing at the picture he was describing for her. "But there's more. I get home and I'm relaxing for a bit so I go on Tumblr and seriously, check this out..." Daryl pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a couple times and handed it to her.

Carol read the blog: Oh my God you guys, I ran into DD at the supermarket today, holy shit he's hot! Anyway, I asked if he was cooking dinner for CP and he turned beet red and pretty much ran away! Caryl2 is sooooo on! They are totally banging!

She snickered and looked at him. "Why do they all think that, when we're totally not?" Carol said, mocking the post slightly.

Daryl slid back a bit and reached for her foot. He took it in his lap and started to massage it. She relaxed immediately and sighed. He really could do some amazing things with those hands. "Could be the googlie eyes you give me when we're in public," he teased her.

"Yeah, okay," she gave him a little kick with her foot. "Maybe it's got something to do with face licking and putting my earring in your mouth," Carol shot back.

"Well those are two very good possibilities," he admitted, continuing his amazing foot rub. He motioned for the other foot and she obliged. Daryl slid her skirt up to her knee and started with her calf first, working his way down. It felt heavenly and Carol closed her eyes, quit

talking and just enjoyed his touch.

When his hands started to work their way back up her calf and stray up past her knee Carol's eyes flew open. "Um, so I noticed you have a Garth Brooks CD in your collection. Didn't take you as the country type," she stammered, trying to make conversation and distract from his magical touch, which was definitely in the thigh region now.

"Oh yeah, not really, but some girls don't respond to Marvin Gaye or Lionel Ritchie. Besides," he chuckled. "There's a song on there that's a real pantie dropper. It's called The Red Strokes."

Carol gasped, "I love that song." She wasn't much of a country fan herself but her taste was diverse and Garth was quite legendary.

Daryl finally released her leg. "Wanna hear it? We can dance?" He was already jumping up to switch CDs and Carol was pretty sure she had no choice. It wasn't that she didn't want to dance with him. But they would be dancing to a song he just referred to as a "pantie dropper" and after the night before she really didn't need any encouragement. The piano interlude was playing as he returned and reached for her hand.

Daryl pulled her tight. He held her one hand in his own, tucked in close to their bodies and the other rested low on her back. She had her other hand lightly against his chest. She was pretty sure he was one of those guys who was just good at everything and dancing was no exception. The first couple lines of the song always got to her, " _Moonlight on canvas, midnight and wine, two shadow starting to softly combine_." As she swayed in his arms to lyrics like those Carol felt something scary wash over her. It was like a wave of passion that she knew she couldn't control if it were challenged.

Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was screaming at herself not to look up. But she couldn't stop herself. When she met his eyes she was lost. It was game over on her end. If he acted there was no way she was stopping him. Maybe if the song ended, she would snap out of it. But she had to survive another 2 minutes first.

Daryl spoke and it helped calm her for a moment. "So how was your date?"

"It wasn't really a date," she replied. "Just coffee and a walk on the pier for sunset."

"Hmm, sounds pretty romantic," he snorted. Carol was sure she heard that tiny edge of jealousy again. "Did you..." he cut himself off. "Nevermind."

Carol stopped dancing, "were you asking if I slept with him?" She couldn't believe he would even think about asking that. "I don't think it's any of your business..." She started off snippy but one look at his face and she calmed down. He looked genuinely sorry. "But if you must know, I said goodbye at my door and immediately started primping to meet you." Jesus Christ, why did I say that? Carol thought.

"Good," he said simply, though there may have been a smugness there as well. Daryl pulled her back into his arms to finish their dance.

When the music ended they stayed there a little longer in each other's arms. Carol made the mistake of looking up again and this time there was no denying the want in his eyes. Before she had a chance to look away, or speak, his lips were on hers. Daryl kissed her tenderly, with a great deal of restraint that she certainly did not have. But she somehow found enough of her own to just let him lead. His hand slid down her back and rested on her ass, though he didn't squeeze or rub it, he simply let his hand linger there and it was far more tantalizing than she thought possible.

The kiss remained slow and gentle, even when his tongue slid into her mouth. The taste of sweet champagne lingered and she drank it in. Daryl moved from her lips to place gentle kisses along her collarbone to her neck. He nipped lightly and kissed her neck, tasting her skin with his tongue. That fucking tongue is going to be the death of me, she thought.

As quickly as it had all happened, it was over. He pulled away with a grin that left her unable to move for what felt like an hour. "Dessert?" he asked.

Carol nodded. It was the best she could do at the time. Once he left the room she regained her composure. He was teasing her and Daryl thought he had the upper hand. He had for a moment, but she was stubborn.

When he returned with dessert a grin spread across her face. Strawberries and whipped cream. This was going to work just perfectly.


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl set the berries and cream down on the coffee table, chose a fat juicy one, dipped it in cream, then sat down next to Carol. He was just about to take a bite when she stopped him, "uh uh uh, ladies first."

"Oh right, of course," he replied, passing her the strawberry. Instead of taking it in her hand she leaned forward and took a bite.

"Mmm, so good," she groaned, closing her eyes and licking her lips. Daryl watched her chew, his hand frozen in mid air, ready for her to take another bite. When she took the second bite berry juice started to run down his fingers and into the palm of his hand. There was only one bite left and he reached to pop it in her mouth after she swallowed, so he could wipe the juice and cream off. But before he could pull his hand away Carol caught his wrist. Her tongue darted out and found a droplet of juice making its way down the centre of his palm. She licked the path it had followed straight up his middle finger. When she got to the tip she took it in her mouth and sucked off the stickiness.

Moving to the index finger she took the whole thing in her mouth and then sucked as she pulled away. Daryl shuddered and like any man would his mind went straight to how that mouth would feel wrapped around his penis instead. Of course his dick responded eagerly, causing him to shift awkwardly.

Carol licked a dab of cream off his thumb, closing her eyes as her tongue flicked over his skin. He could feel her warm breath on his hand and he pushed his thumb into her mouth, encouraging her to suck on it. She did, quite expertly and he knew if he was ever lucky enough to get a blow job from Carol some day, it was going to be epic.

She released his thumb with a pop and bit her bottom lip; a twinkle in her blue eyes. "Your turn," she said, reaching for a berry and adding a generous amount of cream.

Carol held it out to him and Daryl opened his mouth wide, taking in the entire thing with one bite. He could feel a bit of cream on the corner of his mouth but before he had a chance to lick it she touched his chin. "You have some cream, right..." She leaned closer and licked it off. "...there," she said. "And..." She moved in again and licked his bottom lip. Daryl grabbed the back of her neck before she could escape and drew her close. Their lips met, sticky, sweet and wet.

He released her neck when he was confident she wasn't going to pull away and wrapped an arm around her waist drawing Carol into his lap. She had a hand on each side of his face and even though Daryl had initiated the kiss, she was controlling it.

That was one thing he had always admired about Carol, her ability to take control in any situation, and kissing was no different. Daryl wondered what it would be like to be dominated by her in bed. His thoughts were interrupted by a vibration in his pocket. She felt it too and pulled away. "You going to answer that?" she asked.

"I was kinda busy," he grumbled, but since the moment was over, he reached in his pocket and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Carol shifted on his lap and he almost groaned into the phone. "Yeah, I have a friend over for dinner. Maybe some other time. Yep, night," he muttered and hung up. Daryl tossed the phone onto the coffee table and glared at it, as if it was the phones fault for ringing. "I'm seriously considering changing my number," he sighed.

She looked at him and laughed as she slid off his knee. "Got involved with one with stalkerish tendencies, did ya?"

Daryl nodded "Oh my God, she calls almost every night."

Carol laughed again as she picked up a berry and took a bite on her own. He watched as she wandered over to the window to look out at the night. He grabbed a remote and dimmed the lights more, to make it easier for her to look out.

Daryl stood up and walked over to join her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. When she leaned back against him his dick decided it might still have a chance of getting lucky and came to attention again. At this point Carol had to know she was turning him on, so he made no effort to disguise his growing hard on.

He looked outside, the moon was full and bright but it was Carol's reflection on the inside of the glass that caught his attention. He had always seen her beauty, it was undeniable that the woman was gorgeous inside and out. But she was also sexy, incredibly sexy, and he hadn't quite allowed himself to see that, even with all the flirting they had done over the years.

But there was also something else he was feeling. It had taken him a long time to figure out just what it was, but looking at her, holding her in his arms, he finally realized it. Carol was the only woman that had been in his home that truly made all the loneliness go away, completely. There were so many times in his life that Daryl had felt lonely, even when he wasn't alone. But with Carol it was different. She was there and he felt her complete and utter presence. And it made him happy.

He thought for a moment about their current situation. Daryl was quite sure that he could get her to bed if he tried. But he wanted her to make the decision, not him. He was quite comfortable kissing her, touching her, and even with some riskier foreplay. But if they were gonna fuck, it was going to be her decision. He respected her way too much for it to be any other way.

Daryl knew he had a reputation as a ladies man, like many single male actors did, and he couldn't deny it was far from the truth but he truly respected Carol and cherished the friendship they had. He didn't know what adding sex into the equation would do to them but the idea was pretty much all he had been thinking about for hours.

The way Carol responded to his touch and even initiated some of her own showed him she was definitely thinking about it too. But thinking and doing were two very different things, particularly more so for women.

Daryl was done thinking though. He lifted his chin off her shoulder and touched his lips to her neck. She responded, for a moment, then slinked out of his embrace and walked back towards the couch. She didn't escape in a way that was saying 'no' but it was more like 'I'm not going to make this easy for you' and Daryl smiled, he was definitely up to the challenge.

Before he could resume stalking his prey his phone started to buzz again. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," he sighed. "I'm ignoring it this time."

Carol peeked at the phone, "actually I think you'll want to answer this one." She picked it up and handed it to him. Daryl looked at the phone and smiled.

"Hey bud," he said answering. "What's up? Why you calling so late?" Daryl's smile widened at the answer. "Yeah, I miss you too. But it's only a few more days now, ok? Say hi to your mom and dad for me. Yep, love you."

Carol was smiling too by the time he hung up with his nephew. She knew how close Daryl was to the kid. He'd always loved kids and wanted some of his own one day, so when his brother had baby Sam, who was now 12, Daryl made sure he was the best Uncle on the planet.

Carol was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her, holding her champagne glass. Her smile lit up her face. It always reached her eyes and he knew it was genuine. There was never anything fake about her. Suddenly he needed to capture the moment. "Don't move," he said, running from the room to grab his camera. It wasn't a cell phone photo kind of moment, he wanted the real deal.

"What are you doing?" she laughed when he returned with his camera.

"I want to photograph you. Is that ok?" he added with some uncertainty.

"I guess, but..." she blushed. "I feel silly."

He had already started snapping by that point and captured her beautiful flushed-cheek smile for eternity. Carol was a photographer as well, so she understood that sometimes the need to capture a moment just completely takes over.

After several minutes she finally spoke, "don't you have enough?"

"I just need one more," he replied. Daryl walked over to her and touched her chin then leaned in and kissed her softly. When he pulled back he quickly snapped one last picture.

When he flipped to the view screen he grinned. The last photo was perfect. Her eyes had just flew open after the kiss and her lips were slightly parted. Her face was flushed again, but with desire this time, not embarrassment. He returned his camera to his room, looking forward to viewing all the photos later.

"So you wanna watch a movie or something?" he asked.

"You can't sit still through a movie," Carol teased him.

"Depends on the movie. We could watch the Walking Dead Hardcore Parody?" he suggested as a joke.

Carol looked at him and looked away with a cute grin, "I've seen it."

Daryl laughed, not overly surprised. He flicked on the tv and handed her the remote to scroll through his movie collection.

"Hmm, this one sounds interesting... Last Man Standing," she said, pressing play.

"Oh, you might not... It's not..." he muttered, trying to stop her. "It's not what you think..." His voice trailed off as a triple X logo appeared on the screen above an HD symbol.

"It's porn?" she asked with a giggle. "Well, good to know its in high definition." Carol made no move to turn it off, she simply settled in and focused on the big screen.

Oh fuck, what have I got myself into, Daryl thought. He had no idea how he was going to sit beside her and watch a porno without fucking her after, or during. Pretty soon he found that he would much rather watch her watch the movie than actually watch the porn itself. The looks on her face were so sexy, they turned him on way more than the content would have. The movie she had selected wasn't very long, maybe 20 minutes tops. But restraining himself from jumping her made it seem like it was hours.

He finally couldn't take it anymore, he had to touch her. Daryl started by lifting her skirt and putting a hand on her bare knee. When she didn't pull away or stop him, he worked it a bit higher to her thigh.

Carol turned from the TV and looked at him. His heart was hammering in his chest. Daryl wanted to move his hand even higher, slip a finger inside her panties, knowing he would find her wet. He moved his hand just a bit higher and she shifted in a way that said it was okay. Without hesitation he found the edge of her panties with his finger. She was soaked and the material was already wet from her desire. He sucked in a breath and his dick throbbed in response. She arched her hips and gasped as he slipped a finger inside her.

He knew he could make her come. She was so wet and turned on, it wouldn't take long. But Daryl didn't want to take that from her, if she wasn't ready. He needed to know she was ready emotionally, not just physically. He moved a finger to her nub and rubbed gently. "Is this what you want?" he whispered. Her body responded eagerly and he rubbed her again. "Tell me you want this."

When Carol still didn't answer he pulled his hand away. Her eyes opened in confusion. "I'll wait, until you're ready," he said. She understood exactly what he meant. She looked sad and thankful all at the same time. "I can drive you home tonight," he said brightly, changing the subject and offering a distraction. "Only had that one glass of champagne with dinner."

 **CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL**

Carol was deep in thought the entire car ride home. Why hadn't she just told him she wanted it? She had, and she had wanted him. All of him. But now they were in his car and he was driving her home.

She truly did appreciate the fact that he was willing to restrain himself for her. Daryl could have easily pursued her a bit harder and she wouldn't have stopped him. But he didn't. He wanted it to be her decision. He was giving her the power.

When they pulled up to her building she opened the door and stepped out of the car. Carol took a deep breath and fished something out of her purse.

She leaned back into the car and tossed Daryl her spare key. "Go park and meet me upstairs. 418." It wasn't a request. It was a demand. And she knew he would be there.


	6. Chapter 6

Carol thanked her lucky stars that Cookie was curled up in his puppy bed, fast asleep. If he knew she was home he'd be looking for her full attention. Some guard dog, she thought. Once he was asleep, not much could wake him.

Her cats made an appearance for cat treats and quickly wandered off. They were rather antisocial creatures, though they had their moments when they enjoyed a good cuddle.

Carol sat down on a stool at her kitchen island to wait for Daryl. Within seconds she stood up and started to tidy up any little thing that looked out of place. Her house was always neat and clean, but she looked at it with a much more critical view knowing company was on the way.

Besides, the distraction helped with the butterflies in her stomach. The first time with a new partner was a nerve wracking event for most people. And this wasn't just any partner, it was one of her closest friends. She had complete confidence in her abilities to please a man, the years of practice had taught her many ways to make him smile. She was also sure, from the few encounters they already had, that Daryl had mad skills. Carol couldn't wait to feel his tongue on parts of her body it had yet to touch. And his hands, so big and strong, were sure to bring her endless pleasure. But the nervousness in her stomach remained. Perhaps it's related to more than just the sex, she thought.

Carol had actually forgot she had given Daryl a key until she heard him slip it into the lock and the door swung open. The butterflies flew away the second he walked in. One look at him and she completely relaxed. He gave her a silent wave and a tiny smile, making her heart leap in her chest.

She stood, frozen in place, watching as he took off his shoes and hung his leather jacket on the rack. He was absolutely beautiful. His easy, comfortable attitude made her envious, but also thankful because it was contagious.

Daryl sauntered over to her, their eyes locked, and he stopped in front of her, placing his hands on her hips. He looked into her eyes and waited. This was her show.

The first words she spoke to him were the same words she should have said less than an hour earlier. "I want this," Carol said confidently. "Come," she said, taking his hand and leading him to her bedroom.

The door had barely closed behind them when Daryl yanked her hand, spinning her around into his embrace. Her body collided with his followed immediately by their lips. There was nothing slow or easy about the kiss. It was fuelled with lust and desire that had been building for a very long time. Carol moaned as his tongue plunged into her mouth. He was delicious and she twisted her tongue with his savouring the taste of him.

When they finally parted Daryl headed straight for her skirt. "I've been dying to see what you're hiding under there all night," he said, yanking it down to a pool around her feet. "And under here," he added, pulling her shirt off over her head.

Carol stood in front of him in only her bra and panties. She was thankful she had taken the time and effort to pick out the perfect matching pair of undergarments when she got dressed. Daryl was staring at her body but the way he was looking at her, the desire in his eyes, made her feel sexy.

She had never been a fan of a full thong, she preferred Brazilian cut panties instead. They still showed a lot of ass, yet were far more comfortable. The pair she had chosen were bright purple with a V of rhinestones at the front. They perfectly matched the push up bra she wore that gave her just the right amount of cleavage.

Daryl looked her up and down before circling behind her. He reached around a placed a hand on her flat stomach. It felt hot on her skin and Carol shivered. He moved his hand up and squeezed a breast, while reaching for her ass with the other hand and squeezing it too. He rubbed the silky material of her panties and whispered huskily in her ear, "I like these."

He moved back around to the front of her again. He put his fingertips on her tummy and gently walked her backwards towards a large wall mirror. When her bare back made contact with the glass she gasped. Before she had a chance to recover his hands found the back of her thighs and he lifted her off her feet. Carol wrapped her legs around his waist, with the cold surface of the mirror still pressed against her back.

Daryl moved in and licked her from between her breasts to the centre of her throat. She leaned her head back as far as she could and tangled her hands in his hair as he assaulted her neck with wet, open mouthed kisses. The way he was sucking and nipping her Carol knew she was going to have more than a couple hickeys to hide for the next few days. Luckily she had a vast collection of scarves that would do the trick.

He stopped and pulled back to look at her. "Tell me what you want," he said softly.

She returned his gaze and boldly replied, "take me to bed and show me all the amazing things you can do with that tongue of yours." Without hesitation he swung her around and carried her to the edge of the bed. Before laying her down Daryl let go of her ass and undid her bra. Once she was on the mattress he pulled it away, freeing her tits.

He hovered over her with a wicked smile before moving to her nipple. Daryl licked it a couple times until it was stiff, then took it in his mouth and sucked hard. She gasped at the pleasurable sting he was causing. She felt warmth spread through her body, culminating in her centre, causing an ache like she hadn't felt in a while. He moved to the other nipple swirling his tongue around until it puckered, then licking it a few more times.

The ache inside her increased as Daryl slowly worked his way down her body, closing in on the area of distress. She lifted her hips when she felt him grip her panties. He pulled them down quickly and tossed them aside.

She spread her legs wide and held her breath in anticipation. The cool air made her shiver. Daryl positioned himself between her legs and made her wait an eternity. Finally Carol lifted her hips to his face, begging him to pleasure her. One light lick of her clit and she shuddered.

The ache intensified exponentially with each flick of his tongue. He was a master, that was for sure. "Holy fuck," she groaned as he licked then sucked the most sensitive part of her body. The first suck nearly drove her over the edge, but she held on a little longer when he moved lower and slid his tongue between her lips.

He teased and tortured her for a while, licking then pulling away a bit, until Carol decided she was ready to go over. She grabbed his head so he couldn't pull away and lifted her hips eagerly. "Suck it," she demanded. And he did as he was told. "Oh my God," she squealed. "Holy fuck, Daryl..." She was panting, holding on, coming so close to the edge. She pulled his face even closer, terrified he might stop. Daryl sucked harder and finally she exploded, crying out loudly as the orgasm rocked her body. She was dizzy, she needed something to grab, and unfortunately for him it was his hair that her fingers were touching. When the waves of pleasure finally died down and her senses returned she released him. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she giggled. Daryl popped his head up from between her legs and just laughed.

"Your turn," she said seductively, sitting up and reaching for his shirt. Carol couldn't wait to strip off his clothes and admire his body. She undid his top slowly, button by button, impressed with her restraint when her mind was screaming at her to rip it off. When it was fully open she slipped her hands inside over his shoulders and pushed it down. Carol took a minute to run her hands over his chest and muscular biceps before turning her attention to his pants.

 **DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL**

Daryl stood in front of her as Carol scooted to sit on the edge of the bed. She reached out and stroked him through the thick material of his jeans. She wasn't anywhere close to touching his skin but his erection responded as if she had. He watched her pop the button and tug his zipper down slowly, then grab both sides of his jeans and yank them hard. Even though he still had underwear on the new found space was a welcome relief for his dick. She rubbed him again, this time it was only a thin layer of cotton between them, and he groaned.

Finally she slipped off his underwear and his penis sprang free with delight. Carol stared at him, much like he had done to her earlier. She touched his cock, just one quick glide of her hand, from base to tip, and he felt his knees buckle. She noticed and laughed, sliding off the bed to stand with him. Carol circled his body, touching him all over with her hands, her breasts brushing him as she did. When she moved back to the front of him she pressed her warm, soft, naked body against him. He could feel the delicate skin of her belly burning his cock. She reached between them and cupped his sac, massaging him briefly before reaching around to grab his ass. She squeezed several times, then bit her lip and smacked him. It stung a bit, but was so sexy he forgot about the pain.

"Get on the bed," Carol instructed him. He loved how she took control and commanded him, rather than making it a request. He got in bed, and stretched out on his back. She moved around to the end of the bed and crawled up between his legs. Daryl watched her tits sway back and forth and he got even harder at the sight. She rubbed her boobs up his legs to his cock and brushed them over his erection several times.

Carol leaned over him and grasped his dick, firmly, near the base. He felt blood rush to the tip and he was sure he was going to explode when she licked it, swirling her tongue around the head. If she kept going and didn't release the building pressure he was done for. At the last possible second she let go, engulfing him in her mouth at the exact same time. He had been right, she was quite masterful at licking and sucking. She bobbed up and down, alternating between taking him deep into her throat and teasing the tip. She also knew enough to give his balls some attention as well. The poor boys were often neglected during a blow job and he moaned loudly when her hand found his sack and kneaded gently.

"Fuck, why are you so good at this," he groaned, pulling her away before he couldn't hold on any longer.

"I've had a few years practice," she laughed. She gave him a bit of a break, running her hands up and down his chest, then leaning in for a kiss. There was something wrong about her dipping the same tongue that had been licking his cock into his mouth. So wrong, yet it felt so right. He loved that she knew he was close and needed a moment before she climbed on and started fucking him. It was as much for her benefit as his own and Carol knew that, but all women didn't unfortunately.

When he felt calm enough to continue Daryl gently tapped her ass. She knew the cue and immediately straddled him. The look on her face as she slowly forced penetration was magical. He was so focussed on her pleasure he almost forgot to enjoy the feel of her, warm and slick, sliding down his cock. When he was fully inside her Carol paused and took a couple deep breaths.

He continued to study her face, enjoying the fact that he was causing her the same incredible pleasure she was causing him.

When she started to move it was slow and restrained at first, but she built up the pace to the point where Daryl was about to reach his peak and then slid off him. She grabbed his dick in her hand and gave him a few slow strokes, not wanting to completely do him in, but at the same time ensuring he was still fully turned on. She straddled him again and allowed him to experience full penetration one more time, painfully slow for maximum pleasure.

Once again she started to grind on him but Daryl put his hands on her hips to stop her. "I wanna take you from behind," he demanded. She obediently slid off and got into doggy style position, ass high in the air, waiting for him. He studied her pussy for a second, then licked her, wanting to taste her once again before he fucked her. She groaned as his tongue flicked over her clit and gasped when he slid it a little ways inside her. He was torn between enjoying her a bit longer and the throb of his dick, aching to get back inside her.

As usual his penis won the argument and he plunged back into her warm wet heaven once again. Daryl pounded in and out several times causing her to cry out with pleasure over and over again. The little sounds she just couldn't contain drove him wild.

He fucked her hard and fast, pounding into her. Daryl never wanted her to stop making those sounds. She got louder as she neared her peak and with one final thrust she screamed out. He could feel her body shuddering and the clenching of her inner muscles on his dick. He put his hands on her hips and pushed into her a few more times before he came. The orgasm hit him hard and he moaned as it coursed through his body. He was breathing hard, heart beating wildly when he finally withdrew and flopped onto the bed. Carol rolled onto her back beside him and neither moved or spoke for a long time.

"Fuck that was amazing," he finally said. "You are amazing," he added, rolling towards her to kiss her lips softly. She kissed him back and he knew she agreed without having to say a word.

A few minutes later Carol finally spoke. "So I heard you tell Sam you'd see him soon?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah, I'm doing a quick trip to visit. Leaving on Tuesday but I'm only gone for a couple days." They both spent the majority of their time in Georgia, but quite often Daryl would fly to New York City, which was where his brother, sister in law and nephew lived.

"He'll be so excited to see you," she replied. She knew with the filming schedule as of late that Daryl had not had a chance to be visit for a while. He nodded again in reply, resting a hand gently on her stomach. Carol put her hand on top of his then said quietly, "so I'm not expecting you to stay the night, but if you do... I can make a mean breakfast of toaster strudel and banana smoothies."

Daryl rested his chin on her shoulder and spoke softly into her ear, "I love toaster strudel."


	7. Chapter 7

Carol woke up with Daryl's arm slung over her. She hadn't taken him for the snuggly type, but as far as she knew he had cuddled with her all night long. When she actually thought about it, it did make sense. He was the most touchy feely person she had ever met in her life, so it really shouldn't be surprising that he would be touchy feely when he slept too.

She didn't want to move and wake him up so Carol laid still, studying his face, as she thought about the night before. The thing that had surprised her the most about the entire encounter was that he had actually stayed the night. She knew him pretty well and she knew he wasn't the kind of guy who usually stuck around. She decided not to think about what it meant, if anything.

Instead she focussed on the sex and how great it was. Not that she expected anything less, but it really had been amazing. Carol felt her face flush at the thought of how he had looked naked. She had been with some buff men before but Daryl had just the right balance. And he certainly wasn't lacking anything in endowment.

He stirred slightly, as if he was close to waking up, releasing his grip on her a bit. Carol decided it would be a good time to slip out of bed. She didn't think they were at the morning breath kissing stage of their relationship yet. If he wanted to kiss her later she was certainly fine with it, but she planned on having minty fresh breath before it happened.

She grabbed some clothes on her way into the bathroom. She had yoga class in a couple hours. She brushed her teeth and then used some of her minty scope mouthwash. I guess it's gonna be another 2 shower day, she thought, turning it on and climbing in.

When she stepped out Daryl was waiting and handed her the towel she had set out, with a grin. Carol didn't even know he had come in. He pointed at the mouth wash, silently asking if he could use it. She nodded and attempted to focus on drying herself off and not simply stare at his bare ass.

When he was finished his thorough rinse with the mouthwash he turned to face her. Carol was holding the towel up in front of her. Though she was naked, there was nothing for him to see, but there was plenty for her to look at. And she did look. It couldn't be helped.

She let her eyes wash over him, lingering in all the right places, before he invaded her personal space, wrapped his arms around her and found her lips. The towel between them really did nothing to disguise the fact that they were both naked and Carol cursed herself for not choosing a fluffier one. His hands settled low on her back, still wet from the shower. His kiss tasted sweet and minty fresh. Daryl drew away, then leaned back in for one last peck.

"Morning," he said, giving her one of his sexy half smiles.

"Morning," she managed, face flushed from the kiss and the view.

"May I?" He asked, gesturing towards the shower. She nodded and he opened the glass door and stepped in.

Carol finished drying as he started up the water. She peeked towards the glass, thankful it was completely steamed up to save her from the distraction. She had seen one of his movies that included a shower scene and knew that Daryl all wet was a beautiful thing to behold.

She got dressed quickly and laid out a fresh, extra fluffy, towel for him before leaving to make breakfast. When he arrived to the kitchen Daryl was fully clothed. "I hope you didn't think I

was kidding about the toaster strudel," she said, pointing to his plate as she set down a fruit and yogurt smoothie for them both.

"Nope, I was counting on it," he replied sitting down. "But where's yours?" He had noticed she only had the smoothie.

"Oh God, I don't eat that stuff," she wrinkled her nose. "Besides it would totally defeat the purpose of my yoga class," Carol laughed.

Daryl looked confused as she took a seat at the table. "Then why exactly do you have it, if you don't eat it?"

"Honestly?" Carol asked with a grin. "I was at the grocery store one day and picked up a box out of curiosity when a fan walked up. She was so flipping excited that I was buying her favourite toaster strudel that I didn't have the heart to put it back."

"Really?" Daryl laughed at her.

"Really," she confirmed.

He grinned at her, "Well you know, these are delicious. Come on, try one bite?" Carol shook her head. "One bite, come on," he pressured her, holding it in front of her. "Just a tiny bite."

When she realized she wasn't going to win she finally had a bite. He was right, it actually was pretty damn good. "You like it don't you?" Carol nodded and he broke it in half. "Here."

"Oh what the hell," she said taking the piece from him. "Good thing it's hot yoga today."

"Hot yoga?" Daryl was intrigued. "A room full of sweaty women in spandex contorting their bodies?"

"There are a couple men, but yes, that's essentially it," she replied with a chuckle.

"I wanna come," he replied. "Can I?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You're not serious are you?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded. "Sweaty women in spandex? I'm in."

"You're such a pervert," she teased.

"You love it," Daryl flirted back. His phone beeped at the same time. It was a text. "Oh wow, that's from Rick," he said, looking at his phone. "He got the script for the finale." Carol perked up. They were all dying to know what was going to happen in the finale, and mainly if their character was going to survive it. "Daryl is apparently getting his first kiss." Carol's eyes widened. She was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to give Daryl's character a love interest. Or hers for that matter.

"Who's the lucky girl?" she asked, heart beating with anticipation. She would be lying if she didn't admit she wanted it to be Carol.

"Maggie," he said with a bit of confusion.

Carol's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wider. The writers had made some crazy decisions in the past but this one was insane. "Wh... What? How?" She stammered.

Daryl started to laugh. "Oh my God, it's you. Of course it's you," he shook his head at her gullibility and Carol smacked him.

"Don't scare me like that you jerk," she teased. Carol knew Daryl had been rather vocal about how he envisioned romance for his character. "Are you okay with this?"

He nodded, "I will have to wait until I read the script to say for sure, but yes. It's the logical choice."

It made Carol a bit nervous. The writers had been toying around with the idea of Caryl for a long time. Showing the audience they had a strong connection and a deep friendship, but never really taking that next step. For a show that didn't have a lot of romance, their characters had their share of flirting and special moments. But what would happen next? Characters don't get to stay happy for long on The Walking Dead. Her nerves must have shown. "Are you okay with it?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she smiled, pushing away the negative thoughts. "It's going to make a lot of my fans incredibly happy. A few of yours too," she added.

Daryl texted Rick back quickly, then finished his breakfast. "So, what time is yoga?" he asked.

She looked at her watch. "11. I usually get there around quarter to. So we have about an hour."

"Perfect, I can go home and get changed." He stood up. "Text me the address?" She nodded and he came over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks." It was one simple word but it meant so much that Carol couldn't find anything to say in response. She simply nodded, walked him to the door and waved goodbye.

An hour later Carol pulled up to her gym, highly doubting that Daryl would be coming, but he was already there. He was standing beside his bike, looking incredible in workout clothes and his signature sunglasses. A few girls she recognized from class were huddled around him laughing and making complete asses of themselves. Daryl had that effect on women.

When he saw her he politely excused himself and walked to meet her. Carol watched their faces. They obviously knew her and Daryl worked together and he was there because of her, yet they still gave her the look. The look that said why are you so damn lucky? Or, in some cases, I hate you!

Carol slipped her arm casually through his and headed for the entrance. She was pretty sure she could feel their glares burning holes in her back. She smiled.

When they got into the room Daryl strategically chose to stand directly behind her. "Best view in the room," he whispered, as they set up their mats.

"You're such a liar," Carol whispered back. "You're gonna be checking out the blondes in the front row with the J-Lo butts."

"Mmm, maybe for a bit," he admitted. "But I'll be picturing you naked." Carol flushed, and it wasn't from the heat in the room.

When the class started she tried to focus but every time she did a pose that caused her to look behind her she had to fight off a laugh. Daryl was trying his best but pretty much every move she seen was an uncoordinated epic fail. At one point she watched as he almost fell over and couldn't help but snort out loud. He glared at her but finished with a little grin.

They were soaked with sweat by the time the 45 minute class was over. "Fuck," Daryl grumbled. "I can think of a lot better ways to get this sweaty."

Carol snickered. "Wait until later, you're gonna hurt!" She would never forget the first time she tried yoga. Every muscle in her body hurt for days.

"Jesus, I think I need a nap," he groaned. He kissed her on the forehead, sweat and all. "I wanna get out of here before those girls come out of the change room. Talk to you later?"

"Yep. Go," she shooed him, completely understanding his need to escape. There were times when the fans could be overwhelming, and all you really wanted was to just get home.

Carol changed to dry clothes and headed home. She spent the afternoon with Cookie, making up for being away so much. They went to the dog park, he got doggie treats, and they curled up on the couch and watched a movie together.

Carol decided to retire early and climbed in bed to read a book. She tried to focus on the book but her mind kept wandering to the scene from the night before. Flashes of kissing, Daryl naked, the feel of him inside her... A buzz from her phone interrupted her thoughts.

She picked it up and smiled, it was Him.

 _Hey._

 _Hey. What's up?_ She texted back.

 _Just thinking bout u._

Carol smiled and replied: _yeah?_

 _Yeah. My entire body hurts and it's your fault._

 _I guess you're not coming next week?_

 _We'll see. There are parts of me aching and it's not from the yoga._

Carol felt her heart rate pick up: _what parts?_

The next message took a long time to arrive. It was a photo. Carol clicked on it to enlarge it and gasped out loud. "Holy fuck," she whispered, her eyes wide and face burning.


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: I think this one or possibly the next might be the last chapter that was posted on Tumblr. So we might be getting into new territory soon for some of you. Thanks for reading!_

 **Chapter 8**

Carol stared in shock at the photo on her phone. There was no question whose fully erect penis she was staring at and whose hand was gripping it.

 _Holy shit, are you drunk?_ She texted.

 _Nope. What? Have you never sexted before?_

She shook her head as she typed: _Not with illustrations!_

 _Well technically we should be using snap chat but I trust you're not going to sell the photo to People Magazine right?_

Carol had to laugh at that. She looked at the photo again, to admire it, now that the shock was wearing off. He was thinking about her. He was fully aroused because of those thoughts. She realized she was actually flattered. And the longer she looked at the photo the more her body started to respond.

 _Of course not, she replied back. This is allllllll mine!_ She paused for a second, then decided this sexting thing could be fun. _I wish that was my hand_ , she added. Hitting send quickly before she changed her mind.

 _Oh Fuck, me too. Touch yourself, send me a picture._

He's lost his mind, she thought. But for some reason she found herself slinking out of her panties and clicking the little camera icon. It was a little awkward trying to get a photo but she managed. She knew she was blushing fiercely when she saw the picture. It wasn't an area of her body she was used to seeing very often. She took a deep breath and hit send. Carol regretted it immediately but it was too late.

 _Sweet baby Jesus! What I wouldn't give to lick that right now._

His reaction encouraged her to loosen up a bit. _Yeah too bad you're not here hmm?_

 _Pretend I'm there. Imagine me licking you right now. Or sucking just how you like it. Are you getting turned on?_

Carol was getting more than turned on. The texting was way too distracting though. She dialled his number and put Daryl on speaker phone. "I needed my hands free," she said quietly when he picked up. The lust and building desire was bringing out her bold side. "Talk to me. Tell me what you would do to me." Just hearing his voice when he said hello had made her wet, and she couldn't wait to hear him talk dirty to her.

"Oh fuck," he groaned. "My dick is so hard right now, I just want to shove it deep in your wet pussy." Carol felt dizzy with desire. She slipped a hand between her legs, wishing he was there instead to do exactly what he was describing. "Then I would fuck you, slowly, letting you feel every inch..." Carol panted with desire, a sigh escaped her and Daryl heard it. "You like that?" he growled into the phone. She could tell he was still jerking off while he talked to her.

"Yes, it feels so good," she breathed, touching herself slow and gentle.

"Good but I'm gonna fuck you hard and fast now..." she increased the speed and pressure to match his description.

"Oh God," she gasped, feeling like she was going to explode at any time. "Fuck, you're gonna make me come." Carol closed her eyes and thought about him pounding her from behind like he had the night before. "Are you close?" she got out, between her shallow pants.

"Oh yeah, any second now," Daryl replied, his voice low and strained with exertion. "Fuck Carol, come with me," he said, grunting with pleasure. Knowing he had ejaculated sent her over the edge and she held her breath to keep from screaming as the orgasm ripped through her from head to toe, settling in her core and flowing with heat. Even holding her breath she knew she had made small strangled sounds that he would have heard.

"Oh wow," was all she could get out as her breathing evened out.

"Yeah, that was intense," Daryl chuckled in reply. "What exactly were you doing before all that?" he asked.

"Trying to read a book but thinking about last night," she replied honestly. "You?"

"I've been lying in bed for 2 hours because it hurts to move," he snorted. "But somehow I forgot how much I hurt for a few minutes, so thank you." Carol loved how he thanked her again. There were a lot of men who were the opposite and assumed they should be the ones who were thanked. Those men only made it to her bed once.

They talked a few minutes longer. "Have you got your script yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I'm looking forward to a few preliminary run throughs," Daryl teased.

"You realize this kiss is gonna blow up social media, right?" She snickered. "Caryl fans will go crazy, the rest of the shippers will lose their minds, and your fans will be green with envy."

"Bring it on," he laughed back.

They hung up a short time later and Carol was actually able to read a bit before calling it a night.

She woke early the next morning. It was going to be a long day. She had an interview first thing with an online radio company, a lunch meeting with her agent, another interview in the afternoon with a couple ex-cast members, and then she was going out for dinner and drinks with Lori and Andrea to catch up afterwards.

The good thing about the day being so busy was that it flew by. And it distracted her from the one thing, person actually, who had been on her mind for days.

Though she couldn't help but bring him up at dinner. Carol knew they weren't supposed to share script details with anyone but both Lori and Andrea had been on set to visit several times in the past. If the execs were okay with them seeing filming Carol was sure it would be fine to share a small tidbit. "So Daryl told me he got a text from Rick the other day. He got his copy of the finale script and Carol and Daryl are finally going to kiss," she said quietly. They were still in public so she had to be careful.

"Oh my God," Anndrea gushed. "It's about time they hooked up."

"I know," added Lori. "After the Sophia stuff in Season 2 I thought for sure it was going to happen."

"I wonder if Daryl's a good kisser?" Andrea teased. Carol felt her face grow warm, thinking about the answer to that question.

"You'll have to let us know," Lori giggled.

Carol smiled, "I'm sure Rick knows." The joke made them all laugh. It was a well known fact that Rick and Daryl had a huge Bromance going on. Daryl had even mooned him on set before.

"Maybe she already knows," Andrea said to Lori with a snicker.

Lori looked at Carol, "yeah, you two are pretty close." She raised her eyebrows.

Carol was freaking out inside but she drew on her acting skills once again and shook her head. "Nope, just friends," she lied. "His kisses on the cheek are marvellous though," she added.

It was fairly late when she finally unlocked her door and wandered into her apartment. Carol yawned and took off her jacket, hanging it in the closet. She walked past the table in her hallway, then stopped and turned around.

There was a single rose laying on top of a note, along with her spare key. Carol knew she was grinning like an idiot as she picked up the rose and held it to her nose, then leaned in to read the note:

 _Carol,_

 _Stopped by to give you your key and say goodbye before I leave for NYC._

 _Hope we can catch up when I'm back._

 _D_

Carol sniffed the rose again and was overwhelmed with a feeling she couldn't recognize at first. It was like something heavy was leaning on her, causing this unbearable weight on her chest, squeezing her heart.

"Oh my God," she spoke out loud. "I miss him."


	9. Chapter 9

Daryl sat on the plane, ready and waiting for take off. He always grabbed an early flight so it didn't waste a second of the day with his nephew. He was often there before Sam was even up for the day.

He had some time to kill before they were asked to remove headphones and turn off electronics. They were rather lenient with some rules in first class but Daryl wasn't a snob about it. He did what they asked and never pushed for special treatment.

Daryl put in the headphones and flipped on a random station, while opening Twitter on his phone to spend a few minutes with his fans. The music played into his ears catching his full attention: _Baby I've been, I've been losing sleep dreamin about the things that we could be._ He grumbled and flipped to a new station. He actually enjoyed Counting Stars but in that moment it made him immediately think of Carol. The next song was even worse... _The taxi's waiting and he's blowing his horn, already I'm so lonesome I could die._ Leaving on a fucking Jet Plane, he thought, with a scowl. He decided it would be safer to play his own music so Daryl went to the music app on his phone, selected a safe song, Radioactive, and made sure shuffle was on.

He started to play around on Twitter to distract himself. But as often happened he started to get a ton of mentions that included Carol, which immediately made him think of her once again. Daryl closed twitter and pouted. There was a cute blonde across the aisle, sitting alone. Any other day he would have struck up a conversation but it felt like he would be cheating on Carol, even though their relationship had yet to be defined. He cursed himself for being an idiot, but still opted not to chat with the girl.

When Radioactive ended and the next song started to play Daryl's jaw dropped as he realized what song he was listening to: _No matter what you do, Oh Carol I'm still in love with you_. You have got to be fucking kidding me, he thought, pulling out the ear buds and shutting off the music. He had completely forgotten there was an old Neil Sedaka song on his phone called Oh Carol. "Out of the 1700 songs on there you had to play that?" he muttered, looking at the phone. Daryl was sure that there was some conspiracy happening in the universe.

He eyed the blonde again, and almost spoke. But instead turned to the man in a suit beside him, "hey, how's it going?"

Daryl made the right choice. It wasn't often he didn't get recognized, but the man had no idea who he was. And the man, Jamie, had never been to NYC. The flight passed quickly as they chatted and Daryl told him about all the must see places in the city.

Once he got off the plane the rest of the day flew by. He picked up his Nephew from his brother's and they did all their favourite things. Sam wasn't a distraction, he was the main attraction. Daryl loved spending time with him. He brought him home to the condo he rented in the city so Sam could stay the night. It wasn't until Sam was sleeping, which was quite late, that Daryl allowed his mind to wander.

He thought about texting Carol, then decided against it. He figured she was likely sleeping or maybe still out. Then he thought about how she could be on a date and felt that sting of jealousy creeping up on him again. Daryl was not the jealous type so he had no idea why it kept happening. When the feeling didn't go away he finally just gave in and texted her: _Hey, I was wondering if you could pick me up at the airport on Thursday? If you're not busy._

They both had iPhones and used iMessage so he could see she had read his message and was typing back. _What time? I should be able to._

 _My flight arrives at 1:27pm._

 _Sure. Just send me the gate/flight info and I'll be there._

 _Thanks. I'll let u get back to whatever you were doing. Night._

 _Just reading ;) night._

What the fuck does the winky face mean? He wondered. Was she messing with him? Was she implying she was doing something other than reading? Like the last time they texted late at night? Or did it mean she was really just reading this time? "My God, you're putting way too much thought into this," he mumbled. Daryl put down his phone and rolled over to sleep.

The next day was a little different. He had kept Sam home from school the day before, and his brother would have let him do it again if it wasn't for some kind of standardized testing they were doing that Sam had to participate in. So Daryl dropped him off in the morning and said he would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. They were going for supper first and then to a Yankees game. Daryl had called in a favour to score playoff tickets.

He spent the day with some friends he hadn't seen in awhile. Unlike when he was with Sam he was using the friends as a distraction. It worked for the most part and got him through the day until it was time to pick up his nephew and continue their good times.

After the ball game, Yankees won 10-7, he took Sam home. Even though his flight didn't leave until early afternoon it was just easier to say goodbye then and let Sam get back to his usual morning routine.

When Daryl got home it was fairly late. Getting from one side of the city to the other could take minutes to hours depending on the traffic. And it happened to be a rather busy night.

He packed up his stuff for the next day and decided to just call it a night. He would get up for a workout before heading to the airport the next day.

Daryl closed his eyes with a smile. He would finally see her again soon. And he absolutely couldn't wait.

 **CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL -CAROL**

Carol woke Thursday morning with a feeling of excitement. It felt like a long time since she had seen Daryl. They had gone weeks without seeing him in the past and thought nothing if it. But this time, a few days was driving her crazy.

She looked at her phone and saw he had texted her the flight info. She replied: _Thanks. See you soon!_

Within seconds he replied back: _Can't wait._

Carol showered and picked out a casual yet comfy outfit that showed off her figure nicely. She loved the way a pair of jeans could still look sexy with the right top and accessories.

After breakfast she took Cookie to the dog park and by the time they got back she had to leave for the airport. Daryl's flight was a bit delayed so she ended up signing autographs and taking photos with fans in the arrivals area. She could just imagine how chaotic it was going to get when Daryl joined her.

Luckily, he had arranged an escort to get them through the crowds quickly. Carol knew it was for her. He loved the attention and probably would have spent hours getting out of the airport, happily. It wasn't that she didn't love the fans, she did wholeheartedly, but Daryl's reality was much different than hers. When you were with him in a group of fans it was screaming and utter chaos. Her reality was a lot more relaxed and carefree.

Daryl hugged her when he arrived and she saw a million camera flashes. "That's sure to end up on Twitter," she teased. They took off in a golf cart and in less than 30 minutes they were in her car. She pulled out of the parking spot and started into the traffic jam that always surrounded the busy airport. She tried really hard not to smile like an idiot, but she was really happy to have Daryl sitting in the car beside her.

They were fairly quiet until he finally spoke. "Hey, I've been stuck in the city for a couple days, I really could use some fresh air," Daryl said. "Are you in a hurry to get home? I know this cool spot you can like, see the town from up high. It's pretty neat. Better at night, but still a sweet view." He was talking really fast and Carol knew if she looked away from the road she would see him smiling and talking excitedly with his hands.

"Sure, I've got time," she replied.

"Yeah? Okay, take the next exit off the highway." Daryl gave her directions, taking them way off the beaten path into rural parts she hadn't seen in the 4 years she had been living in the area. "I found this place when I was shooting photos one day."

The last turn took them down a dirt path. "Are we even allowed to be here?" she asked.

"It's fine," Daryl said nonchalantly. "I come here quite a bit, I've never saw another person in 2 years."

The path ended at a bit of a clearing. Carol stopped the car, put it in park, then hit the button to kill the ignition. Daryl jumped out and she followed his lead. She watched him while he stretched, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. He turned and held out his hand, "come look."

She placed her hand in his and they walked to the edge. The view truly was breathtaking. You could see miles of forest and farmland in all directions but on the horizon loomed the edge of town, like an oasis in the desert. Carol could only imagine how it would look all lit up at night. "We need to come back in the dark sometime," she suggested.

"Definitely," Daryl said. He had a smile on his handsome face, obviously pleased that she liked his special spot enough to ask to return.

They gazed at the view for quite a while. Daryl didn't seem ready to leave and she honestly wasn't either so Carol wandered back to the car and sat on the hood. A few minutes later he walked up and stood in front of her, resting his hands on her knees. She grinned, his touch always had that effect on her, "I bet you bring all the girls up here, huh?"

"Uh uh," Daryl shook his head. "You're the very first, usually I come alone." Carol stared at him, still smiling, wondering if he was telling the truth. "What?" he said with a laugh. "Are you ready to be the first women I've kissed up here?" He slid his hands up the front of her thighs and leaned in closer.

She could smell his cologne as he hovered only inches away from her. It had been several days since the last time she had felt his lips on hers. Carol couldn't deny how badly she desired him, spurred even more by the fact that he wanted her just as badly.

Daryl reached around her and grabbed her ass to slide her forward so he was standing between her legs. He placed 2 fingers under her chin and lifted, until her eyes met his. "I've missed this," he whispered before their lips met.

Carol couldn't get over the build up of passion in both of them in such a short time. It felt like their first kiss all over again, but with much more familiarity. When his tongue probed she was eagerly waiting to engulf it. Even though she was ready, Carol still gasped at the intensity he brought.

She was so caught up in the moment she didn't even notice the first few raindrops start to fall. But like a typical Georgia rainstorm it went from a few drops to sheets of rain in a matter of seconds.

Daryl pulled back with a laugh and they both turned their face towards the sky. When they looked at each other again they were soaked, hair dripping and clothes plastered to their bodies.

The rain was cold but the second Daryl took her back into his arms she felt warm. He sought out her neck and kissed her, his lips slipping over her wet skin. "Fuck Carol, I want you," he growled into her ear.

"Oh god, I want you too," she replied, her face once again aimed towards the sky. The rain pelted her as Daryl resumed his attack on her neck.

She was pretty sure he would have taken her right there on the hood of her car if not for the boom of thunder and bolt of lightning off in the distance. "Shit, we better get in the car," he said, sliding her off the hood onto her feet. He kissed her once more before they separated to get in opposite sides.

The second the doors shut behind them Daryl was on her again. It was awkward in the confines of the front seat. "Wanna...get... outta.. here?" she got out between kisses.

"Yeah," he replied, breaking away and reaching for his seat belt. "My place, it's closer."

Carol did up her own belt and started the car. She put the wipers on high and backed the car around to head out the way they came. She should have been freezing from being soaked but the heat inside her body was enough to keep her warm without even turning on heat in the car. Daryl fueled the fire the entire way to his place by touching her provocatively. It wasn't anything more than a hand on her leg or fingertips on her arm, neck, shoulders, but it drove her so wild she drove way faster than she should have in the conditions.

When they were finally parked in front of his building the rain had tapered off, though the occasional boom of thunder still rumbled. With her hands finally free Carol gave him one firm package grab, feeling him hard just like she had hoped, then hopped out of the car, put on her calm facade and strolled into the lobby with Daryl right behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

The tension in the elevator was unbearable. The second the doors closed and they were alone Daryl wanted to grab Carol and devour her. He managed to keep himself in check for about 7 floors, which equated to less than 15 seconds, before he backed her into the corner and kissed her.

She returned his kiss with an intensity that may have actually surpassed his own, which only resulted in turning him on even more. He knew at any point the elevator could stop to let someone on, but it was rare on the way up to his floor. And quite honestly, he was way too far gone to give a shit who saw them.

When the elevator reached his floor Daryl spun her from the corner and started walking her backwards out of the elevator, not willing to break contact for even a second. He backed her into his door with a thud, but neither seemed to notice or care. He fished his key out of his pocket, fumbling to get it in the lock with his attention elsewhere.

"Need a hand?" a voice said, jokingly.

Daryl pulled back in surprise. It was his neighbour, heading for the elevator. Carol turned her head blushing, but with a huge smile. "Um, nope, I got this Mr. Collins," he said, with a wave to the older gentleman who was snickering as he walked by.

He slid the key in and opened the door. Carol slipped inside and he followed. They were both laughing by the time the door closed behind them, though clothes were already coming off as they chuckled.

Daryl pulled his soaked shirt off over his head. It made a wet thunk as it hit the floor. She added her shirt to the pile and they both kicked off their shoes and peeled off their damp socks. He needed to touch her again so he circled her body with his arms and yanked her against his bare chest. Her skin was damp and sticky like his, and also very cold. But Daryl was warm and he could feel the temperature even out as he transferred his body heat to her. He ran his large hands over her back, flicking open her bra when he reached the clasp.

He kissed her bare skin anywhere he could reach. Her neck, shoulders, collarbone, jaw, cheeks, and finally her lips. After a long delicious kiss with their tongues battling for dominance, Daryl broke away and sunk to his knees in front of her. He traced her ribs with his finger tips and followed the path with his lips.

He continued down her ribs to her belly, dipping his tongue in her navel on the way by. He felt Carol shiver as his hot breath washed over her sensitive skin. When he got to the waistband of her pants he slipped his tongue in as far as it would reach, teasing her. Then he slowly started to pull her pants down, panties along with them, planting kisses down the front of her as he exposed more and more skin.

She wiggled to help him a bit, as the wet material clung to her skin. When her pants hit the floor she kicked them off and Daryl pushed them aside. He moved her legs apart far enough to give her a tantalizing lick, which made her gasp, before he rose up again. Carol let her bra fall away as he stood and Daryl immediately took a nipple into his mouth. He sucked hard until she cried out, "Holy fuck." He released her nipple with a grin.

Carol attacked his pants, frantically. "God, I missed you," she admitted truthfully. He realized quickly that she had let that slip in the heat of the moment and her admission caused a strange feeling inside him.

He unexpectedly found himself following suit. "I missed you too," he breathed into her ear. They were both completely naked and hadn't made it anywhere close to the bedroom. Daryl knew there was no way they were getting to the bed.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the couch, "you're going to fuck me now, and show me just how much you missed me."

He loved it when she took over and told him what to do. He understood that Carol knew exactly what she wanted and when she demanded he obliged. He eased her onto the couch flat on her back. She sucked in a breath as her skin touched the cool leather. He hovered, but only for a second, she wanted him badly and Daryl had wanted to be inside her from the second he had kissed her, while she sat on the hood of the car. Fuck, he had thought about it on the plane ride to Atlanta even, almost pitching a potentially embarrassing tent in his pants.

Daryl positioned himself between her legs and thrust. She was slick with desire and he moaned blissfully as he moved deep inside her. "Jesus Christ, you feel so fucking good," he growled.

Someday when she's really horny I'm going to take it slow and drive her absolutely crazy, he thought. But it definitely was not going to happen right then. Daryl couldn't have slowed down or stopped if the building was on fire. He held her hips for leverage as he pounded her hard and fast. It was wild and frantic and Carol was loving every second. He moved a hand to her clit and rubbed, as he continued to fuck her.

She arched her back, and squeezed her eyes shut. Then Carol licked her bottom lip and bit down hard to strangle the sounds that were threatening to escape her. It was so damn sexy that he almost lost it right then. But he held off, wanting her to come first. And she did. He loved the look on her face and the high pitched squeal that she just couldn't hold in as the orgasm took complete control of her. Daryl only had time to enjoy it for a second before he was dominated by his own release.

When he finally withdrew Carol was staring up at him with a lazy smile. "You really did miss me," she teased him.

"Told you so," he quipped back. He looked around for his underwear and remembered the trail of wet clothes back in the hallway. "Hmm, let me find us both something to put on and I'll throw your clothes in the dryer."

Daryl returned, dressed, and handed her jogging pants, a shirt and a pair of lacy panties with the tag still on them. Carol held them up, "Do I even want to ask?"

"It's not what you think," he laughed. "One of my exes went on a shopping spree with my credit card just before we broke up. She was kind enough to leave behind her purchase," Daryl droned sarcastically.

"How convenient," she muttered. Carol eyed the tiny undergarment skeptically, "What are these, like size double zero?"

"They'll fit you," Daryl said, rolling his eyes.

He watched as she ripped off the tag and slipped them on. They did fit her quite well. Too well, because he suddenly just wanted to get her out of them again. She pulled on the pants he brought, rolling the waistband down so they hung on her hips and then put the t-shirt on.

Daryl left to gather up the clothes and put them in the dryer. When he returned she was sitting on the couch, knees drawn up and hugging herself. "I can't seem to get warm," she said. "Chilled from the rain, I guess."

He understood the feeling. Even with warm dry clothes he still felt a lingering chill. "I have an idea. I know we just got dressed, but come on." He beckoned her to follow and led her to his bathroom. Daryl shut the door and turned on the heat light above them. Then he started the water in his large jacuzzi tub. "How does a hot bath sound?" he asked her.

"Mmm, delightful," she sighed.

"Good. There are bubbles there if you want," he pointed. "Go ahead and get in, I'll be back."

When he got back Carol was in the tub, deep in bubbles. "Oh my god, I think I love you," she joked, when she saw he had brought them coffee. Daryl set the mugs on the edge of the tub and she immediately picked hers up and took a sip. "Delicious," she groaned.

He stripped off his clothes and climbed in, settling behind her so Carol could lean back on his chest. The sat there silently for a few minutes before she took a deep breath and spoke, "what are we doing Daryl?"

He knew she wasn't being literal but he answered her jokingly, "Taking a bath..."

She leaned into him and rubbed his leg under the water. "You know what I mean," she said softly.

He sucked in a breath, serving a duel purpose, as it gave him a second to think, and relieved some of the tension she was building by rubbing his leg. "I don't know, I really don't," he said truthfully. "But does it matter? Do we have to define it?"

Carol popped a foot up out of the water and wiggled her toes. "I guess not."

Daryl ran his hands from her shoulders down the length of her arms and interlocked their fingers. Then he wrapped both their arms around her body. "Are you happy?" he said quietly, brushing her ear with his lips.

"Mmm hmm," she sighed, melting into him.

He savoured the feel of her in his arms. "Good. Then let's just... Be."

"Just be," she repeated, turning her head to capture his lips in a soft kiss. "Ok." She continued to turn around until she was straddling him. Daryl ran his hands over the front of her body, feeling her breasts heavy in his hands. It wasn't long before he was fully aroused and she slid onto him.

It was different this time. Slow and patient to the point the Daryl was aching from the restraint. But the slow burn was worth it in the end when it all came to head and exploded.

Carol collapse against him afterwards and he held her tight, stroking her back gently. "Are you excited to start back to work tomorrow?" he asked. Carol nodded with a huge smile.

Daryl knew she loved filming every bit as much as he did. "Do you want me to pick you up?"

She shook her head. "I better drive myself. I want to put everything I've got into being in character, not into being Carol who is NOT fucking Daryl." She looked at him, "I trust you're not interested in our coworkers finding out right?" He confirmed it with a head shake. "Me neither."

Less than an hour later he walked Carol to her car and grabbed his stuff. In the rush to get to his place earlier they had left everything in the back seat. "So I'll see you tomorrow I guess," he said, leaning against the car.

"Yep." She opened the door and he stepped away from the car, but she turned to speak again before getting in. "Gonna be interesting making out at work for a change," she said with a flirty laugh, before jumping in her car and taking off with a wave.


	11. Chapter 11

Carol was up at the crack of dawn and incredibly happy, though it was an ungodly hour to be awake. It had only been a week since they had last filmed but it felt like forever and she had missed work. It was bittersweet though, as they were starting work on the season 4 finale, which meant a long break was forthcoming until filming for season 5 began in the spring.

After a drive thru stop at Starbucks she was on her way out to the not-so-secret filming location. It always surprised her just how many fans sleuthed out where they were shooting and risked potential arrests to get as close as possible. Carol didn't think anyone had actually been arrested or charged but they were frequently warned and shooed by security.

The sun was just coming up and Carol had her radio blaring. Out of habit she mindlessly sang along: _but swimming in your world is something spiritual. I'm born again every time you spend the night. Cause your sex takes me to paradise, yeah your sex takes me to paradise and it shows yeah yeah yeah. Cause you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven for too long..._ After singing the chorus she started to realize what exactly she was singing and her mind snapped to memories of recent encounters with Daryl. It was pretty eerie how much the song mirrored her feelings towards their relationship.

"But you're not supposed to be thinking about him today," she said out loud, changing the station to CNN. Carol wanted the day to be about the special moment they were filming between their characters, and putting everything she had into making that scene as breathtaking and poignant as it deserved, after 4 seasons of build up. Daryl was her counterpart though, and trying to completely separate everything she was feeling for him and simply becoming her alter ego was going to be pretty much impossible. Carol knew she was going to have to channel her own feelings into her character and hope it simply came off as amazing acting, and not physical attraction to her coworker.

The good thing was that she and Daryl had already had conversations with their bosses and even her great friend and amazing costume designer, about how the chemistry between the two of them, as friends, translates to their characters. Someone had even told her once that it was the spark between her and Daryl that had prompted much of the relationship development between Caryl in season 3. These conversations made Carol pretty confident that her and Daryl could pull off the scenes without it being obvious they were fooling around. In a way, it was likely going to be helpful they were shooting the Caryl scenes, as a way to disguise their feelings. The others would hopefully think they were just really getting into character.

When she arrived she was one of the first cast members there. She grabbed her script and headed off to her trailer to read it over. She didn't get too far before there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called out. The door swung open and Daryl stepped in. He pulled the door closed behind him and locked it. "What are you doing?" she asked, with a smile, her heart rate doubling.

"Make up won't be ready for us for a while so I was told to find you and do a few run throughs," he said, popping a piece of gum in his mouth. He wandered over to her and placed a lingering kiss on her lips, she could taste the mint. "Morning," he said pulling back.

"I thought we were going to be careful at work?" Carol said. Even though in her mind she really did want to be careful, she was quite happy he had kissed her.

"I'm being careful," Daryl grinned. "I locked the door."

"Yes you did," she laughed. Carol studied him for a minute. Why does he have to be so damn sexy? she thought. She took a deep breath to regain her focus. "Okay, let's do this."

They ran through the dialogue a few times until it felt comfortable. There were a few lines that were pretty new for his character and Daryl said them perfectly, in the shy and awkward way that was necessary.

When they actually shot the scene Carol was going to have to work up some tears. The last episode had ended with the groups finally connecting but none of the reunion scenes had been filmed, other than Carol returning Judith to Rick's arms, which was a very emotional moment in itself for so many reasons.

"So maybe we should practice the kissing part," Daryl said, taking a step closer.

Carol gave him a flirty look, "we've been practicing the kiss for a week haven't we?"

He laughed, "those were just foreplay kisses, this is the real thing."

She agreed to try the dialogue again and follow through with the kiss. Daryl got rid of his gum, then they both got into character and started. The kiss was scripted to be initiated by her after a hug, so after she drew back from their embrace she held his gaze for a moment, then leaned in to kiss him.

Daryl was perfectly in character at first. He acted a bit shocked and tentative, even a little awkward before relaxing and letting her take the lead on a sweet and tender kiss. Sweet and tender soon turned into passionate and they added a little tongue action. Carol was quite pleased with the result of their first attempt and felt confident they could pull off something similar for the cameras.

About the time the kiss between their characters should have wound down, the kiss between Carol and Daryl just started to heat up. She let him take over, and even though she knew the scene was over and they were in completely different territory.

She savoured the sweet minty taste the gum had left, delving her tongue into his mouth to enjoy the flavour. Her hands automatically reached for the button on his pants as Daryl was working hers, including her underwear, over her hips.

Carol's mind was racing, an internal battle raging inside her. One side screamed at her to stop, reminding her she was at work and telling her she was being unprofessional. The other side was urging her to just give in, pointing out that they were alone, the door was locked and no one would find out. Besides, the little devil side added, it's not like actors didn't have trysts in their trailers all the time.

Hormones and the devil conscience won and she found herself turning around and bending over, as her jeans and panties hit the floor around her ankles. She wondered why it always seemed to be such a quick and lusty fuck with them. Even when they actually had time it was like they craved the sex so badly it became wild and frantic. She swore the next time it would be different. She would make sure it was slow and easy. Next time, she repeated in her mind, they weren't even done the current round and she was already planning the next session.

Carol pushed the thoughts away and decided to just enjoy the moment. Daryl had some serious skills and equipped with the right sized tool it was a deadly combination. She loved the way he filled her completely, yet she could still handle all of him.

Daryl held her hips as he thrust and Carol braced herself against the arm of the couch. He pushed slightly upward as he moved into her, hitting the spot that drove her wild time and time again. She knew she was already incredibly wet but the more he found the sweet spot the wetter she got. "Jesus," he muttered, obviously noticing how slick she felt.

Carol closed her eyes, she knew she was about to come. She gripped the upholstery of the sofa, digging her nails in and squeezing. She was aware that there were other trailers close, Rick on one side and Maggie not too far behind them. And anyone could be walking by at any moment. She fought hard not to make a sound but couldn't suppress a little whimper as she shuddered with the release. Her vaginal muscles were contracting with Daryl still moving in and out quickly.

She felt his grip on her hips tighten as Daryl stopped moving and came inside her. She hated not being able to see his face. She loved watching the look of bliss while he was orgasming.

When he withdrew she stood and redressed before turning around to face him. "Well that definitely can't happen when we shoot?" Carol sighed.

Daryl gave her a sheepish grin, "What? I thought I nailed it."

"Oh my God," she snorted, smacking him. "All kidding aside, I think the first part went really well, don't you?"

He nodded. "It did actually. But the second half went even better."

She rolled her eyes. Carol knew when it came time to shoot the scene he would be the consummate professional but right now he was just being Daryl and she couldn't help but smile at his cuteness.

He had just started doing up his belt when there was a knock on the door. "Ms. Peletier?" a voice called out. It was one of the interns. They were the only ones that still addressed her so formally at the end of the season.

"Yes?" Carol said loudly.

"They are ready for you in wardrobe and makeup now."

"Ok, I'll be there in a couple minutes," she replied.

"Great. Oh, and is Mr. Dixon here too? They told me you might be rehearsing. They are ready for him as well."

Carol looked at Daryl and bit her lip to keep from laughing as he finished with his belt. "Okay, I'll let him know," she got out, hoping the intern was far enough away before she finally let out the giggles.


	12. Chapter 12

After what seemed like hours Carol was done in wardrobe and makeup. She was wearing the outfit her character had on since early in season 4, which included one bad ass pair of Doc Marten boots that many of her fans had went out and purchased.

She headed out to join the others and start filming the scene. Daryl was waiting, completely transformed from stylish and well groomed to shaggy, grungy and sweaty looking. Yet he still had that bad boy charm that made her heart flutter just a bit, even when she wasn't in character.

There were several other cast members hanging around that had finished shooting. Maggie and Glenn both looked teary eyed, even though they were smiling, as did Rick. The reunion scenes were very emotional for all the characters.

After a quick chat with the directing team they set to work. They ran through the scene a few times with people giving them orders from all sides, "little more to the right, slower, say it with more emphasis on 'alive', start from the top, hand here, tilt your head more, stop, go..." It went on and on until everything looked right, sounded right and felt right. There were times that both her and Daryl interjected with ideas, some of which were used, and some that got turned down.

When the scene went perfectly though, Carol knew it. It was something she just felt, but there was often silence too. People quit telling them what to do because they were finally doing it exactly right. It didn't often take long for that to happen in the majority of her scenes with Daryl and the reunion scene was no exception.

It was their final scene alone together of season 4 and Carol knew it would stick with her for quite a while…

 _Carol spotted him across the field and suddenly every other face ceased to exist. She had just handed baby Judith to Rick and Carl, who were in complete shock, as they believed Judith had died._

 _Rick was saying something to her, tears welled up in his eyes, but the moment she spotted Daryl she couldn't hear a thing he was saying. He was alive, he was really alive. And he was staring at her, frozen in place just like she was._

 _Carol took one step in his direction, her heart pounding. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes and the second the first one ran down her cheek she started to run._

 _Daryl didn't move, but he was waiting for her, arms open to receive her in his embrace. Carol hit him with a thud, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're alive," he muttered happily into her ear, circling her body with his strong arms and lifting her off her feet._

 _When Daryl set her down she looked up at him, smiling through the tears. She still couldn't speak, she couldn't believe he was really there._

 _Daryl looked down shyly but met her eyes again before he spoke. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He spoke quietly but from the heart. Carol's smile widened and she touched his face. He didn't flinch. In fact, he actually leaned into her hand as if he craved her touch._

 _"I missed you," she said. After she finally got those first words out she kept going. "So much has happened, we've lost so much... Our home, family members... Hershel, Beth, Lizzie..."_

 _Daryl lifted a finger to her lips to stop her, "but we still have each other." He wrapped her in a_

 _hug. Carol was shocked because it was the first time he had initiated intimate contact with her. As the shock wore off she melted into his embrace and enjoyed it. She had been waiting years to be in his arms and just when she had given up all hope of ever seeing him again, here they were._

 _Carol had no idea how long they had been hugging but when they finally separated she knew there was one more thing she had to do. She looked him in the eye, leaned in and kissed him. Daryl seemed a bit shocked and tentative at first, bordering on awkward but finally he just relaxed and let her take the lead. The kiss was sweet and tender until passion eventually took over. She licked at his lips and Daryl parted them, his tongue darting out to meet hers. It was a moment she had been wanting for a long time and the ache of missing each other made it so much sweeter. Daryl wasn't great with words but he found other ways to tell her how he felt, and his kiss told her everything she wanted to hear._

 _Reluctantly Carol released him, needing to breathe and collect her emotions. There was so much loss and so much joy. The conflict was utterly bittersweet. She took a breath and looked at Daryl. He spoke so softly she could barely hear him but the words somehow found their way to her brain and threatened to explode her heart, "I... Love... You..."_

"And cut!" a voice yelled, snapping Carol back to reality. There was a flurry of activity: clapping and hoots from their coworkers who were still watching, lots of praise from the directors, Andrea had even come to watch the scene and she congratulated Carol with a hug, "that was beautiful," she whispered as they embraced. So much was going on but the only thing Carol could think about was the unscripted "I love you" Daryl had thrown in at the end. She wasn't sure it would be detected by the cameras, it was so quiet, but she clearly heard it.

When she finally has a second to talk to Daryl she asked him about it. "What was that?" she whispered.

He shrugged, "don't know, it just felt right." He gave her a quick smile before heading off to chat with Rick.

She shook her head and allowed herself a private grin before wandering off to talk with Michonne and Maggie who were ready and waiting to film shortly. "That was incredible," Maggie gushed as Carol approached. "If I didn't know better, I would swear you and Daryl have done that before," she teased.

"We have," Carol deadpanned, trying to keep her face serious as long as possible to enjoy the look of shock on their faces. "In rehearsal," she finally added with a laugh. The ladies giggled with her at their naiveté while she congratulated herself for dodging that one so easily.

Carol was about to walk away but Michonne stopped her. "Hey, on Thursday after work we're going shopping for dresses for the wrap party. We talked Abby into coming too. Are you in?"

Carol smiled at the invitation. She was about to turn it down because she could just imagine the cute dresses that the two of them would end up wearing but something changed her mind. "Yeah, ok, sounds fun," she replied. Maybe it had to do with Abby the costume designer she adored going too, Carol wasn't sure, but she was looking forward to spending the afternoon with the three ladies.

The next day at work brought a lot of downtime for Carol. She was killing time on Tumblr when a particular post caught her attention. It was an amazing analysis of the episode Indifference that had aired recently. It was intelligent, well thought out, very pro-Carol and Caryl, and she found herself agreeing with every word. She clicked on the user name and went to the fan's blog to read a few more posts. Everything she saw made her proud to have the young man as a supporter of her character and her work. There weren't a lot of male shippers, so it was even more adorable.

Daryl showed up as she was finishing the a rant on another blog about Rick and the banishment storyline. "Oh my God you have to read this post, it's so funny," Carol said, handing him the phone.

Daryl started to read and was smiling pretty much instantly. "Oh my god this is fucking epic," he said, looking up at her. "I need to show this to Rick, he'll piss his pants. Be right back." Daryl took off with her phone.

He returned 10 minutes later and handed it back to her. "Rick loved it, Glenn too." Carol clicked the button to follow the blog before closing the tumblr app. She didn't follow many users, but this was one that would surely brighten her dashboard.

The next two days were only half days of filming, which was why they planned the shopping trip for Thursday. Wednesday afternoon Carol was home, showered and changed, drinking a cup of coffee when she got a text from Daryl: _Hey! Wanna come over?_

The corners of her mouth turned up instinctively, but she somewhat declined: _I don't know_.

 _Why not?_

Carol grinned as she typed her response: _I'm doing stuff Daryl. Thaaaaaangs!_

 _Lmao. Come on Jackass. Get over here_.

Carol sighed, she did want to see him. She resigned: _ok, I'll grab Thai on the way for dinner._

 _She sent a second reply quickly after: PS is this a booty call?_

 _Maybe. Do you want it to be?_

She replied then tossed her phone on the couch while she went to change: _I'll go pick out a cuter pair of panties ;)_


	13. Chapter 13

When his phone rang and the doorman announced his company Daryl was already replying with, "Send her up" before the words had fully registered in his brain.

As he hung up the words sunk in, "Mr. Dixon, Rick is here to see you."

"Oh fuck," he muttered, scrambling for his phone. He texted Carol: _Rick just showed up_.

Her response surprised him but calmed his pounding heart: _Oh ok, see what he wants from the Thai restaurant._

 _You're still coming? You don't want to wait?_

 _The three of us have hung out many times. Don't act all weird and we'll be fine._

 _Well it's gonna be hard since I've been thinking about fucking you for like 2 hours._

 _Lol. Me too. But it'll be fine. Text me when you know what he wants to eat._

 _K._

Daryl took a deep breath and headed towards the door knowing Rick should be there any second. Sure enough the bell rang and he opened the door. "Hey asshole, what's going on?" he moved aside to let Rick in.

He shrugged, "Just driving by and thought I'd say hey, maybe have a beer or two, before I head home."

"Carol is on her way over," Daryl said nonchalantly.

"Oh?" Rick smiled and suggestively wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe I should go?"

"Fuck off," Daryl said, trying to play it cool. "We had a bet as to whether or not Carol and Daryl hook up this season. I said yes, she was like, no. So she owed me dinner. She's picking up Thai. What do you want?"

Rick seemed to buy it. Carol was right, the three of them had hung out many times. Just not at his place. Usually at bars or restaurants after work and a couple hotel rooms after conventions. "Whatever... Chicken pad Thai I guess, with the lemongrass soup."

Daryl texted Carol: _chicken pad with lemongrass soup. And if he says anything about a bet just roll with it. U lost._

 _Got it. See you soon._

Daryl and Rick had finished their first beer and cracked a second by the time Carol arrived. He went to the fridge and grabbed another Bud Light, twisting off the top and handing it to her. "Thanks," she said with a smile, taking a seat at the table and passing out their food. She handed each of them a set of disposable chopsticks.

Rick accepted them tentatively, "yeah, this is not gonna happen." Daryl had already opened his and set to work on his dinner.

He gave Carol and look before speaking, "oh come on, it can't possibly be as bad as last time."

"You mean the time the sweet little waitress at the Chinese buffet went and got her whole family to come watch me eat?" Rick was glaring at Daryl and Carol was smiling.

"It's easy," she teased. "Bottom one stays still, lift the top one like this," Carol demonstrated, taking a bite of food.

"I get the concept, believe me, I do," Rick said, unwrapping the chop sticks. "But my hands and my brain just will not work together on this." He successfully grabbed a bite and made it halfway to his mouth before the food slipped out, half going back in the takeout container, the rest of the pad Thai landing on the front of his shirt.

Daryl and Carol both snickered and Rick glared again. "Get me a fucking fork," he said to Daryl. By the time he returned with the fork Rick was talking and laughing with Carol. He stopped for a moment and watched her face while she grinned. She really was stunning but the glow when she smiled affected him physically. Not only in a sexual way but also in a way that made his breath catch in his throat for a split second.

Daryl pulled himself together and stabbed Rick in the shoulder with the fork. "Ow, you fucker," he said grabbing the utensil.

They finished dinner, joking about work stuff and sharing crazy fan stories. Daryl had the best ones, but Rick had his fair share of insanity.

After downing the last of his beer, Rick jumped up. "Probably should get going," he said.

Carol looked at her half a beer and smiled. "Me too, after I finish this," she said, taking a sip.

Daryl was pretty sure that was for Rick's benefit. But just in case he walked Rick to the door and said goodbye, trying not to make it too obvious he was in a hurry. It might have been the first time he really wanted one of his closest friends to get the hell out.

When Rick was gone, he rejoined Carol. "I am so sorry, he just showed up."

She was leaning on the counter, Bud Light in hand. Carol looked at him and batted her eyelashes, "but he's gone now and I'm still here." She set the beer down, boosted herself up to sit on the counter, then picked up the bottle and took a long drink. "Now how about you come on over here and make your guest feel welcome," she purred.

Daryl didn't need to be asked twice. He moved towards her, spread her legs so her could stand between them, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a long kiss. He could taste the beer on her tongue as she slipped it just barely into his mouth.

There was something about the way she kissed him that was inviting and dominating at the same time. It was as if she was drawing him in - asking him to take the lead, but making it very clear that she was still in charge. It obviously came from years of experience, which was something novel for Daryl, given the fact that most of his relationships involved women who weren't old enough for such skills. It turned him on though, faster than any kiss should.

Daryl realized that kissing her was part of the reason that things always progressed so quickly between them. The minute they started kissing it made him so horny he just wanted to rip off her clothes and take her on the spot. But he swore this time would be different, so he had no choice but to break the kiss.

"Come on," he said, lifting her down off the counter. He led her to his bedroom. "Take off all your clothes and lay down. I'll be back," he didn't wait to see if she was going to obey him or

not - he trusted her curiosity would win over, if nothing else.

Daryl was right. When he returned she was laying in the middle of his bed, breathtakingly beautiful, completely nude and smiling at him. He held up a bottle of massage oil and her smile brightened even more.

He removed a few layers of his own clothing, opting to leave his boxers on, though the kiss from moments ago and seeing her naked had him growing rather hard already. Daryl climbed onto the bed, opened the bottle and poured a bit in his hands. He set the oil down on the night stand and rubbed his hands together. "Close your eyes and relax," he said softly, before straddling her body at the hips and touching her soft skin with his hands.

She took a deep breath and sighed as his hands found her neck and shoulders. He massaged the oil into her skin. It wouldn't take long before the tingly heat reached her muscles. When it did Carol groaned, "oh God that feels amazing."

He started to work his way down the front of her body, purposely avoiding her breasts. He noticed her nipples were erect from arousal, even though he had been nowhere near them yet. Daryl moved over her rib cage down to her flat stomach, spreading the oil everywhere he touched. The heat burned his hands, not only from the oil itself but the fire that was created between them anytime he touched her skin. He slid down a bit and worked over her hips and the top of her legs. He tried his best to ignore the fact that she was attempting to spread her legs and invite him to touch her there. Instead he touched her everywhere but, coming excruciatingly close, but never actually touching the spot. In the same manner, he continued to ignore her breasts whenever he reached back up her body to rub her.

Carol did quite well for a while, but her frustration became evident in her not-so-subtle hip thrusts and movements in an attempt to make his hands touch those areas he was avoiding. Though he was enjoying making her squirm Daryl was also torturing himself as he truly was dying to touch the off limit body parts. The next time he slid his hands up the inside of her thighs she tensed, obviously hoping this was finally going to be the moment she was waiting for, but when he moved away once again her eyes flew open and she glared at him. He shook his head and grinned, "not until you beg me. You're not getting anything tonight that you don't beg for."

"I will not beg," she said with a stubborn pout. "You'll do it when I tell you to." And with that, it was game on. He knew she was incredibly stubborn, but he would win this one, Daryl was confident.

He continued his massage again. "Touch my breasts and lick my nipples," she demanded as he got close.

"That did not sound like begging to me," Daryl replied, gliding his hands back down the front of her. He moved over her mound, grazing gently, then slid a hand to either side and rubbed her inner thighs again.

"For fuck sakes, touch my pussy Daryl, rub my clit," she growled, wiggling her hips towards his hands.

"Not until you ask me. I mean, beg me," he said. Their game continued a while longer. He was amazed at her will power. Daryl knew she would have had him begging in about 30 seconds. He stopped for a moment and stood to remove his underwear. He could feel her eyes lingering on his erection. When he got back in bed he sat on his knees, between her legs, then lifted her legs over his so they were perfectly lined up for penetration. As he leaned forward to rub her body again, the tip of his penis grazed her. It took everything he had to not lose his own game and just shove the rest of the way in, when she moaned. They had been at it for a while, far longer than most men have the patience for. But his competitive spirit reigned and Daryl was determined to make her beg.

Carol lifted her hips again, trying to push herself on him but he backed away just enough to deter her, then moved closer, brushing her again as his hands roamed her body. "You are going to fuck me now," she growled at him. She was way beyond just wanting to be touched now.

"Pardon? Were you asking m..."

"Fine," Carol cut him off. "You win! I want you to fuck me Daryl. Please?" she pleaded. "I need you inside me, right now. I'm begging you!"

"Christ, I thought you'd never ask," he said, plunging his penis deep into her with one quick thrust. She cried out as he entered her and Daryl moaned in succession. All his teasing had made her very wet and thoroughly horny. The sex was completely different than before. The build up had led them both to the edge of insanity and the fire they built was wild. He assumed it would be over quickly but somehow they were both able to hold on longer than he thought possible. When he reached the point where he knew he couldn't last much longer Daryl reached for her clit and rubbed it as he moved in and out of her. He wanted to make sure she was going to come before he let go. When she cried out again and her body stiffened and clenched around him he finally released as well. He opened his eyes as he emptied into her and found Carol looking back at him. They shared an incredibly intimate moment. He had no idea how much more intense the orgasm could feel by allowing her to share it with him, at the same time as she was allowing him to share her pleasure, just by looking into each other's eyes.

When it was over Daryl looked away shyly. He had never gave so much of himself to another and he felt naked - more than just his physical state. When he looked back at her again as he withdrew she was smiling at him. "You will never win again," Carol teased. "That was a one-time thing."

He was thankful that she broke the tension. "Mmm hmm, we'll see," he joked back. It was exciting to him that they were talking once again like there would definitely be a next time. Daryl was never sure what direction their relationship was heading in. But if she was up for continuing the mind blowing sex, he was certainly game.

She slid out of bed and started to get dressed. "I hate to just take off," she said sincerely. "But we do have to work first thing in the morning."

Daryl nodded in understanding. "Last official day of work tomorrow," he said, pulling his pants on. He knew there would likely be call backs, there always were. But as for scheduled work, the half day coming was it.

"I know," she said sadly. "The wrap party on Saturday and a death dinner on Sunday and people will start to scatter all over the country."

Daryl walked her to the door and spontaneously hugged her. It wasn't strange for him to hug Carol, but it felt like he was compelled to do it and he had no idea why. "See you tomorrow," she said, drawing back and leaving a warm kiss on his cheek. Daryl stood in the doorframe and wondered why his heart was hurting even though he would see her in a matter of hours.

On his way back towards his room he stopped and looked at the photo framed on his wall of the New York City skyline. He was a Georgia boy born and raised, but somehow the city had captivated him many years ago and his heart was split between the two. He had always missed the city life when he was away, even though he loved a breath of country from time to time as well. By this time of year though, after filming 6 months in the Georgia heat New York was always calling his name. But for the first time ever he felt a deep sadness about leaving that was very similar to the ache of being away from his nephew and family. His heart felt like it was being pulled in two different directions. Daryl shook his head and kept walking, pushing away the thoughts and distracting himself by running through his lines for the next day in his mind.


	14. Chapter 14

Carol headed home after work to shower and change. She was picking up Abby, Michonne and Maggie and they were driving into the city to shop.

The mood at work had been a bit somber, but they had the wrap party in a couple days and inevitable call backs. So even though it was the last day, they knew they would all see each other again. Nonetheless, it was still a sad day to wrap filming for season 4. Carol was ready to cut loose and have some fun with 3 wonderful ladies, whom she adored.

The laughs started the moment they were all in the car. And continued into the first store. They had decided to each pick a dress that they would never wear and try them on one at a time. Just for fun. And after that they would get serious.

So while Michonne and Maggie were picking out long floral prints that did nothing to show off their figures and Abby found some god awful tweed pant suit, Carol headed for the skin tight, short and revealing dresses, like Maggie and Michonne would likely end up in. She usually opted for darker colours. Nothing too flashy. And though she didn't mind showing a bit of cleavage she always chose longer skirts or pants on the bottom. Accessorizing was her area of expertise and you needed a more plain base to really be able to work with layers of necklaces and bracelets.

The dress Carol chose was bright red, with long lace sleeves. The back was open from the bra strap up and there was a cut out in the front that showed some boobs. Above the cut out the dress laced up to the neck and there were several strings of pearls attached that did up to look like necklaces. The dress was skin tight and very short. Carol looked at it again and chuckled. It was so far from what she would normally wear she decided to find a pair of stiletto heels too. She rarely wore heels and if she did they were very low or wedges. The pair she chose matched the dress perfectly. They were very high with a strap around the ankle and criss cross straps down the front. The straps were decorated with silver square jewels, and diamond rhinestones that sparkled in the light.

Carol headed for the change room area. Abby was up first and they all cracked up as she stepped out in the tweed suit. She looked like a librarian. Just to make things extra goofy she was wearing a huge pair of shades and had a massive orange handbag on her shoulder.

The dress Maggie chose looked like a curtain. And even her sexy curves didn't make the dress look flattering at all. They laughed as she strutted like a model and spun around, heading back into the change room. Michonne came out wearing this long drab thing that could only be described as frumpy. Michonne was gorgeous and Carol was pretty sure she could make a garbage bag look sexy but it was very amusing to see her in something so drab.

Carol was up next. She went into the change room and got into the dress. The bra she was wearing didn't quite work with the cut out so she took some time to poke and tuck as much as possible. She slipped the heels on and turned to look in the mirror. She chuckled a bit. But then she took a second look and spun around a bit. She felt very sexy. With one last look she blushed slightly and opened the door. She didn't have experience in heels that high but she managed quite well.

Carol stood in front of them and waited for the laughter. But none of them spoke at first. "That bad?" she asked with a grin.

They all started taking at once. "Holy shit, you look hot," Maggie said.

"Look at your legs! Why do you hide those?" Michonne exclaimed.

Abby got up and walked a circle around her, "how many times have I told you to show off that body?" Abby had been picking tighter shirts for Carol to wear from early season 3.

"Woah, woah, woah," Carol stopped them. "The whole point was for me to pick something I would never wear," she said, with emphasis on never.

The three of them stared at her. "But you're going to buy this dress and wear it on Saturday," Maggie replied. "You have to, you look stunning!"

Carol shook her head. "No way! People will think I've hit a midlife crisis or something," she chuckled.

"Who cares!" Michonne said. "We are all friends, everyone who will be there loves you."

"It's one night. One fun night with friends, what's it going to hurt?" Abby said. "You trust me as a costume designer, right?" Carol nodded. "Then believe me when I say you look stunning, sexy and classy all at the same time."

Carol still wasn't convinced. "Does it come in black?" she asked.

"No!" all three said in unison, even though none of them knew for sure.

Carol smoothed a hand over her stomach and tugged a bit at the bottom of the dress, "Are you guys sure?"

"Yes," came the reply, in unison again.

Carol smiled. "Okay then." She turned and went back into the dressing room to change.

"Oh my god, the guys are going to drool all over that," she heard Michonne say. "Glenn, Rick, Tyreese, Daryl..."

When she heard "Daryl" Carol quit listening. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time and realized quickly that he was the reason she was doing this. He had brought out a sexiness in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. And how much fun was it going to be to tease him all night? Drive him crazy! Carol gave herself one last look from head to toe. Yep, Daryl was in big trouble.

 **DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL**

Daryl was one of the first to arrive at the wrap party. He liked to see everyone else show up and already have a drink in his hand when they arrived.

Glenn and Rick were with him though. Glenn had actually got there before him, and Rick showed up not too long after. It wasn't surprising that most of the early arrivals were men. They had far less primping to do.

Execs and crew started to trickle in slowly but the first female cast member to arrive was Michonne. She looked gorgeous as usual in a midnight blue silky dress. Beth and Maggie both showed up soon after. Beth was wearing a fairly simple black dress, but looked cute. And Maggie was wearing one of her usual show stoppers.

Rick nudged Glenn and they shared a look as Maggie waved at them. They were all just good friends but it was fun to tease Glenn since his and Maggie's characters were hot and heavy on the show.

Daryl scanned the crowd wondering if Carol had slipped in at some point and he missed her. She was never one to draw attention to herself and it wouldn't have surprised him if she had

somehow snuck in unnoticed. It was fairly late and the dancing had started already.

"Holy fuck," he heard Rick say. "Oh my God, she looks amazing."

Daryl turned as he was taking a sip of his Crown and coke and choked when his eyes landed on the woman Rick was talking about. The drink stung as it threatened to come out his nose. He attempted to regain his composure while Rick and Glenn continued to fangirl.

"Look at those legs? I had no idea what she was hiding all these years," Glenn muttered in awe.

I did, Daryl thought, finally taking a moment to drink in the sight of her. He was pretty sure that everyone was looking at Carol and she absolutely glowed. The dress showed off every curve of her body, leaving nothing to the imagination. There was this open area at the front that showed just enough cleavage to be ridiculously sexy, but tasteful at the same time. He wanted to go to her side immediately and tell her how wonderful she looked. And tell her how much the dress was making him want to rip it off her. He felt a tightening in the groin area that he tried to ignore.

Rick looked at him, "might wanna pick your jaw up off the floor."

Daryl gave him a playful punch in the arm but realized if he didn't play along they were sure to suspect something was up. "Fuck, who knew?" he said. "I might just have to see if I can get my hands on that sweet ass later," he joked.

Glenn and Rick laughed, assuming he was kidding. And for their purposes he was, though Daryl knew he would get a handful of that ass later. He was going to make sure of it. There was no way she was going to tease him like this without finishing the job. He knew she was trying to drive him crazy. When it came time she would be more than ready to give in.

"Well I'm going to be the first to dance with her," Glenn said. "Later suckers," he waved and headed towards Carol.

Daryl and Rick watched as Glenn made his way over and gave Carol a hug. Carol adored Glenn. Daryl knew he was one of her favorite people in the world. But they were friends. Just like everyone assumed was the case between himself and Carol. Or so he thought.

"Okay, it's just us," Rick said quietly. "You're fucking her, aren't you?"

Daryl choked on his drink again. "What? Why would you think that?" he sputtered.

"I'm your best friend, asshole," Rick replied. "I got suspicious when you hadn't talked about your latest piece of tail for weeks." He looked at him and smiled, "You've got it bad for her."

"I do not, there's nothing going on," he tried again to deny.

"Stop. I know it's true but it's not like I'm going to say anything. When I left the other night, she stayed didn't she?" Rick asked, with a knowing look.

Daryl felt his cheeks light on fire with the memory of exactly what they had done after Rick left. He was thankful for the dim light, hiding the blush a bit.

"Oh my God," Rick laughed. "I've never seen you like this before."

"Fuck off," Daryl said, with a glare. His eyes wandered to Carol again. She still hadn't seen him as she was distracted by the immediate throngs of attention the moment she walked in. She was on the dance floor in Glenn's arms, swaying to some country song about making memories. Glenn whispered something in her ear and Carol threw her head back in laughter. Daryl's heart tightened a bit. Fuck, it's Glenn, you idiot, he said in his mind. But there was no denying the fact that he wanted to be the one who was making her laugh.

Suddenly Carol caught his eye. She held his gaze a little longer than she should have and followed with a bright smile and little wave. He held up his hand in response and continued to watch her, even after she broke eye contact and returned her focus to Glenn.

"Am I even here?" Rick mumbled, snapping Daryl out of his trance. "You done shooting daggers at Glenn? Because I'm next ya know."

The song was winding down and Glenn was leading her off the dance floor, in their direction. Before they got close the next song was starting, another slow song.

When Daryl heard the first lines: _I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight. I've never seen you shine so bright._ He looked at Rick and grinned, "I don't fucking think so, she's mine for this one." Daryl flipped him the bird and walked to meet Carol and Glenn. Daryl held out a hand, "May I have this dance?"

There was a little grin playing on her lips as Carol shrugged her shoulders and placed her hand in his. Her hand was soft and warm. Just touching her skin, even if it was only fingers, made his heart pick up just a bit.

They headed to the middle of the floor and Daryl pulled her comfortably into his arms. He attempted to keep a respectable distance initially but couldn't resist feeling her fully against him. Carol didn't seem to mind, even though there were still a lot of eyes on her - on them now.

Daryl had danced with her at the wrap party the year before, and although alcohol blurred a lot of the season 2 party, he was pretty sure they danced then too. It certainly wasn't anything novel. But what was novel was the fact that he could not keep his hormones in check - at all. Just holding her was making him hard.

He decided to distract himself by starting a conversation. "The DJ is definitely checking you out. He obviously played this song for you," Daryl whispered in her ear as they moved to Lady in Red. "But I mean, really, who isn't checking you out?"

"Do you like it?" she asked, almost shyly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked. "You look, mmm, stunning." He held her closer and continued. "Just like your acting this season, you're stealing the show."

"Stop," Carol said, teasing him with a staple "Daryl" line.

"But seriously, are you trying to fucking kill me?" Daryl asked. "How am I supposed to focus on anything with you wearing this?"

"You can blame Abby, Maggie and Michonne. They talked me into it," Carol replied.

Daryl shook his head. He knew her well. "No one talks you into anything. If you're wearing this dress it's because you want to."

She looked at him. The heels she was wearing were so high they were almost the same height. "You only live once," she responded, with a chuckle.

"You're right," Daryl said, an idea brewing in his mind. He pressed his hips closer to her so Carol could feel his erection. The song was drawing to a close. "There's a bathroom upstairs. Meet me there in 5 minutes. I'll lock the door, so knock twice."

"Are you serious?" Carol replied. "Here?"

Daryl leaned close and breathed in her ear, "Why did you wear that dress? Be honest."

"To make you want me like you have never wanted me before," she sighed. "And to make sure I was the only one you were looking at all night."

Daryl knew it was common knowledge that he usually took home someone from the party. An intern, an extra, anyone that wasn't likely to be back the next year.

"Mission accomplished. I want you Carol," he said huskily. "And I can't wait until the party is over."

Daryl released her as the song ended but leaned in for an innocent looking kiss on the cheek. "5 minutes," he repeated. "Don't keep me waiting."


	15. Chapter 15

Carol inhaled a long gulp of air and knocked on the bathroom door - twice. On the second knock the door flew open and she stepped inside. As the door clicked shut behind her Daryl's arm circled her body, his hands groping her everywhere while he kissed her shoulders through the thin material. She could feel the heat of his breath on her skin and it covered her body with goosebumps.

She enjoyed the feel of his strong hands kneading her breasts for a moment before spinning around to face him. His hands moved immediately to her ass and he pulled her flush against him. She thought about kicking off the heels but Carol liked being almost the same height as him. It provided an extra touch of natural dominance beyond what she could muster on her own.

They stared at each other for a second and she recognized that Daryl's heart was pounding with anticipation every bit as much as her own. He leaned in to initiate a kiss but Carol leaned back with a grin, teasing him. He tried again, to no avail, and her smile became evil.

He ground his hips against her, pushing his erection tight to her body to be sure she knew how badly he wanted her, but at the same time she realized it was also to increase her own desire. It had the intended effect as she felt a throbbing ache begin between her legs. But Carol wasn't quite ready to give in. She planned on playing hard to get until Daryl had no choice but to dominate her. She felt like being forced, even though her body was screaming at her to just jump him and get it on.

When Daryl tried one last time to kiss her and she backed away he finally realized what she wanted. Carol knew he would figure it out eventually. He was quite aware of her desire. She never would have showed up if she wasn't interested. And he was a skilled enough lover to know that she was playing with him, forcing him to take her and dominate. She smiled at the irony, knowing that even in this instance when he would lead she was still in complete control.

Daryl backed her into the corner so she had no way to escape and could no longer lean her head back to dodge his lips. When they finally connected with her own it took all the strength she had to not just give in instantly and kiss him back. She stayed tense and forced him to do everything he could to loosen her up.

As hard as she tried he was such a good kisser that Carol found herself giving in quickly. She met his tongue with her own and enjoyed how good he tasted. She knew he had either had chewed gum or ate a mint not long ago as the sweet spearmint flavour transferred to her taste buds. As they continued to kiss she playfully fought off his hands as Daryl tried to pull up her dress. She realized his reserve was running low as his desire ran high and figured she better give in or risk her dress getting ripped off her body.

Carol quit fighting him off and soon found her dress pulled up to her waist and Daryl's hands rubbing the silky material of her panties. What little material there was. It had taken a few attempts to find the right pair - ones that didn't show underwear lines through the tight spandex dress.

He reached for the back of her thighs and lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist. Just the feel of his warm hands on her skin made her groan instinctively. She caught a smile on his lips before he leaned in and licked her cleavage at the opening in the front of her dress.

Daryl turned away from the corner and moved to the counter, plunking her down on the cool marble. Carol gasped at the contrast between his warm hands and the cold countertop.

He kissed her again and then reached for her panties. She lifted her hips and allowed him to pull them off. It was a little tricky getting them past the heels, but he managed. Daryl lifted the material to his face and inhaled before tucking the panties into his pants pocket. She never understood why men did that. She certainly had no desire to pick up a guys boxers and take a whiff, but for some reason the scent a woman left on her underwear seemed to drive men crazy, and Daryl was no exception.

He pushed her legs apart and touched her, pushing two fingers in deep to see if she was wet. Carol watched his face as his fingers became moist and slipped even further inside her. His desire had been evident but when he realized how ready she was, it intensified.

He removed his hand and went to work on his pants, quickly undoing his belt, button and zipper, letting them fall to the floor around his ankles. His boxers soon followed and she watched as he stroked himself a couple times. It wasn't necessary, he was more than ready. "Fuck, just look at what you do to me," he said, his voice deep and husky. "I want you to touch me, stroke my dick until I can't stand it for another second. Then I'll fuck you."

He was commanding her, just like she wanted and Carol did exactly as she was told. She started slow, working from base to tip and back down. Eventually she started to pick up the pace and paid a little more attention to the sensitive tip. Daryl was massaging the insides of her thighs as she kept working on him. It was incredibly distracting, having him so close to touching her but just missing.

All of a sudden he stopped rubbing and pulled her to the edge of the counter. He held his penis at the right angle with one hand and pulled at her knee with the other, forcing her legs open wide. Carol wasn't sure which one of them sighed louder when he was finally inside her. She hoped to hell there was no one outside the bathroom because they would definitely have heard them.

She was surprised at how quickly she came. She was quite sure Daryl would have finished first and it would have been one of those times the woman didn't get off. But he was still fucking her as she flew over the edge. Her sense of reality had just returned when he finally came. He held her tight for a minute after, not quite ready to withdraw. His head was on her chest and Carol lightly stroked his hair. She took a long deep breath as Daryl stood up straight and pulled out. He quickly got himself situated before helping her down onto her feet.

"Panties?" Carol held out her hand. Daryl shook his head. She decided to ignore him for a minute. "Turn around, I have to pee." He faced the door while she did her business. She stood up and washed and dried her hands before asking again for her underwear.

"You can have them back at my place, later tonight," he grinned.

Carol adjusted her dress and made sure everything was in place. She knew what he was trying to do, but she would leave with the upper hand. "You want me to spend the rest of the night commando? Sure thing." She opened the door a crack and peeked out to make sure the coast was clear. "But remember, when I'm dancing with other men and their hands are on me, it was your idea." She winked at him and took off.

She didn't see Daryl again until over an hour later. The kids had all gone home, Lizzie, Mika, Carl and the others, so the adults were really starting to cut loose.

Suddenly Abby appeared and grabbed her hand. "Your presence has been requested over by the bar Ms. McBride."

"Hey! There's last year's champion," Rick boomed as she approached. Carol noticed he was already three sheets to the wind and was likely not going to be in the running this year.

They had an annual game of quarters going. She had a particular knack for being able to bounce the quarter into a glass. Her record the previous year was 8 in a row before she missed and had to pass her turn. But she had put both Laurie and Phillip out during that particular run.

They started with 6 players. This year it was her, Abby, Rick, Bob, Tyreese and Daryl. Abby got to start and missed. Ty went next and landed the quarter in a glass on his first try. "Drink up Rick," he said, passing him the glass.

It was pretty obvious Rick would be the first target. It wouldn't take more than a couple shots before he was done. It was three, to be exact, all courtesy of Tyreese. When he landed the 4th quarter in a glass and held it to Rick he finally bowed our. "Mercy, I'm done," he slurred, standing up and stumbling from the table.

The game continued and the shot went to Abby instead. Tyreese missed the next one and it was Daryl's turn. He made the first one and pretended to hand the shot to Carol with a grin, but decided instead to pass it to Ty. "Drink up, big man."

When Daryl missed it was Bob's turn. His three quarters in a row put Abby out in two shots and got Daryl his first drink. Carol was surprised they weren't picking on her, given that she was defending champion.

Bob sunk a 4th and finally Carol had her first drink. She picked up the glass and downed it. The whiskey burned, but she loved it. She slammed down the glass and flicked the quarter back to Bob. Finally he missed and it was her turn.

She decided to finish Tyreese off if she could. They had spent a lot of time together shooting scenes for the back half and he had played more than a few practical jokes on her. When she handed him his third drink she said, "and that's for making fun of the way I dig a grave." All three men snorted with laughter.

When she pushed number 4 his way Ty gave up. He stood and kissed her cheek. "Payback's a bitch," he whispered and Carol laughed. She caught a pouty look on Daryl's face. He was clearly wondering what Tyreese had said to make her laugh. As she went to bounce the quarter again she felt a hand on her knee. It threw her off and she missed.

The hand disappeared because it was Daryl's turn. Carol was pretty sure he missed on purpose so he could continue his own game under the table.

His hand started at her knee again but was working its way up the top of her leg as Bob handed her a shot. Carol tipped it back and groaned. It wasn't just the burn of the alcohol, but the fact that Daryl's had all but reached his destination.

She wiggled and tried to clench her legs tight enough to deter him but it was no use. She hated losing but the only way to escape Daryl was to lose the game with the next drink. Unfortunately Bob missed and it was her turn.

She quickly missed on purpose and forced Daryl to pull his hand away again. She grinned at him. He missed too and grinned back. Fortunately Bob was too drunk to notice their little side game. He made his next shot and Carol gave up. She was nowhere near drunk yet, but she was horny. And if she didn't get away from Daryl's magic fingers soon they were going to create the most memorable scene of any wrap party to date.

The shot was immediately offered to Daryl and he gave up too. Bob jumped to his feet. "Boom! And that is why they hired me to play an alcoholic y'all." A round of applause followed his declaration of a new champion. Carol wiggled away from Daryl's reach but didn't escape one last ass grab as she stood up. She shot him a look, and quickly checked to see if anyone had noticed. She immediately felt paranoid because it wasn't uncommon for him to grab her ass and no one would have thought anything about it. It was a "Daryl" thing to do.

She danced a bit more and then Tweeted a couple pictures. The party was starting to wind down and Limos were showing up to take people home safely. Rick staggered over with a bottle of champagne, followed by Daryl and Glenn. "The three of us," he gesticulated wildly with the bottle. "We decided we want to leave with the hottest chick at the party." He linked his arm through hers, "up for a 4some?"

Carol laughed, "how could I turn that down?"

They all piled into the limo. Glenn lived the closest so they headed there first, passing around the champagne bottle as they rode. Glenn gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek as he was leaving. "You look fucking hot Peletier," he said, staggering away from the limo. Carol rolled her eyes and pulled the car door shut. Her place was the next closest, but when the driver asked for the next address Rick gave his.

"Thought maybe the two of you would like a nice romantic limo ride," he said with a high pitched drunk giggle.

Carol looked at Daryl and he shrugged. "Sorry, he figured it out."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Rick said, giggling again. Carol couldn't help but smile. Drunk Rick was pretty cute.

After they let Rick out, Daryl helped him inside and returned to the car, the driver rolled down the window for the next address. "Just one last stop," Carol replied, giving Daryl's address. When the window was fully closed again she settled into his lap to give him a preview of what was to come.


	16. Chapter 16

"Daryl, you know you shouldn't be on Twitter when you're drunk, right?" Carol said seriously, watching him play on his phone while they made their way up to his place.

"Yeah, you'd think I'd learn right?" He held up his phone, "smile." He clicked a button and the flash went off, catching her off guard.

"Hey! You are not tweeting that," she squealed, grabbing for his phone.

"Too late," he grinned at her.

"Delete it," she demanded. "Do you want everyone on the planet to know we're together at 2 in the morning?"

"Kinda," he said, with a laugh. "Who wouldn't want to be the lucky dog taking you home?"

Carol rolled her eyes. She knew there was no arguing with Daryl when he was drunk. But he honestly had no idea what kind of commotion he likely just caused with one photo. He snickered as they stepped off the elevator. "What?" she asked, trying to sound stern and annoyed, but he was way too damn cute and being a little tipsy herself was not helping the matter.

"Oh nothing, it's just the photo... It has 1147 retweets, 2210 favorites, and a shit load of replies..." he tilted the screen so she could see it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she muttered. The photo had been posted less than a minute. She had no idea why she still found it so surprising, given that Daryl had almost a million followers and likely more than half had their notifications turned on. She knew when she got home her phone was likely to be over run with texts and her twitter feed would be insane. She narrowed her eyes and mustered up the best glare she could find, "What have you done?"

Daryl opened his door before replying. He snuggled his nose into her neck, then whispered in her ear, "I'll make it up to you, promise!"

Goosebumps covered her body as his breath tickled her ear. How did he have such an effect on her? She wasn't one of those teeny bopper fangirls that screamed every time he smiled, yet some days, when he smiled at her she really did want to scream like a 16 year old.

They stepped inside and she watched in amusement as he hopped around trying to get his shoes off. The simplest things were the hardest to do after the amount of alcohol he consumed. With Rick and Glenn so far gone she actually hadn't noticed how drunk Daryl really was. But he held his liquor well, like her, which is why they were often the last two still drinking when they went out as a group.

"Ok, I'm here, so can I have my underwear back now?" Carol asked.

"Oh these?" he fished them out of his pocket. "Yeah, you won't be needing those for a while." Daryl tucked them back in. "I need to piss, meet me in the bedroom. And don't you dare take that dress off, I've wanted to peel it off you since I first laid eyes on you tonight. "

Carol sighed. Not with frustration or exhaustion, just a little release of breath she'd been holding since he whispered in her ear. She quickly took off her heels and sighed again at how good it felt to be in bare feet. She made her way quickly to the bedroom, not far behind him.

His phone was on the nightstand and she picked it up, an idea brewing in her mind. She opened the Twitter app and got it ready to tweet a photo. She clicked the little camera icon and it was all set. She snuck quietly to the bathroom and opened the door. She aimed the camera at Daryl standing in front of the toilet peeing and said, "smile." When he turned his head she snapped the photo. Luckily he had finished peeing or he may have went on the floor as he turned. "Yes!"she said out loud, typing his standard word that he often used when tweeting a photo.

"You did not," he said, eyes wide.

"I did," she giggled, running from the room with his phone. He wasn't far behind and the next thing she knew his arms were around her and he tackled her onto the bed. She didn't fight him as he took the phone from her hand. She started to laugh as the look of horror slipped away.

"Oh my fucking God you scared me," he sighed with relief. She had zoomed in to capture only his face when she took the photo. He looked like a deer in the headlights, but other than that there was nothing dangerous about the photo.

"Don't ever underestimate me," she teased.

"Oh believe me, I don't," Daryl replied, tossing the phone aside and moving in to kiss her. Her heart started to hammer in her chest as he pinned her to the bed and assaulted her mouth. His kiss was demanding yet still passionate. Carol found herself twisting her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer, making sure he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. She was weighed down with his body on top of her but Carol wriggled her hips suggestively against him, reminding him exactly what parts of their body were touching.

Daryl shifted a bit and reached a hand up under her dress while he continued to kiss her. He slid his fingers up the front of her thigh and rubbed her hip before moving back down between her legs. She was wet and Carol had no idea which one of them moaned first, him when he realized how slick and ready she was, or her when his fingers moved over her clit, dipped inside her, then moved back to her clit carrying her own moisture with them.

He rubbed her in light circles, moving back inside her every once in a while, keeping things wet and lubed up. Daryl broke the kiss, "fuck, I need to taste you," he groaned. He moved off her and quickly slid her dress up higher. She lifted herself up off the bed to help. He positioned his head between her legs and slipped two fingers deep inside her before he started to lick her clit. He turned his fingers and curled them upward, stroking her over and over inside, finding her g-spot. Carol lifted her hips, urging him on. She was beyond turned on and wanted to come, she wanted nothing more than to fly over the edge and feel that sweet release. But Daryl stopped. "Heyyyyy," she whined.

"I want to get you out of this dress and touch every inch of you," he said, staring at her with a look that almost finished her off. "Then I want you to suck me and ride me like a fucking rock star."

Carol stood and turned around so he could undo the dress. Daryl made quick work of the clasps at her neck and the next thing she knew he was peeling off the stretchy material. Before he could touch her she insisted he be naked too. "Not until you take off your clothes," she warned, as he reached for her. Daryl was undressed in a matter of seconds. He started to run his hands over her body, squeezing her ass and tits. She couldn't take much more, she wanted him inside her, so she pushed him back onto the bed and began fulfilling his request.

She knew she gave amazing blow jobs but she kept it short and simple. Carol had no desire for him to come before his penis was buried inside her. She climbed on top of him, staring into his eyes as he penetrated her and she sunk down sheathing him completely. She found the right angle to give herself maximum pleasure and began to ride him. She fucked him hard and fast, then slow, painfully slow. When he couldn't bear it anymore Daryl grabbed her by the hips and took over. She leaned back and touched herself as he fucked her. He was watching her and groaned, "that's so fucking hot." She continued to rub her clit as he drove into her until she finally reached her peak. The combination of pleasure on the inside and out was incredible. She heard Daryl grunt as he came, but stayed focussed on her own pleasure, not wanting it to end.

She opened her eyes and caught her breath, inhaling slowly. She was still on top of him and they were still joined. Daryl reached for his phone, which had been on the bed the whole time. "Wanna tweet another photo?" he asked, aiming the camera at her.

"No fucking way!" she giggled, sliding off him and pushing the phone away at the same time. He laughed and tackled her once again, kissing her full on the mouth. Carol untangled herself and got out of bed.

"Stay, please?" he asked gently. She could tell he was starting to sober up a bit, moving into that sentimental phase she had seen more than a few times.

Carol knelt on the bed and pushed his hair off his forehead, out of his eyes. "You sure?"

"Mmm hmm," Daryl nodded with a yawn. He moved and pulled back the covers, inviting her into bed. She climbed in beside him and snuggled her naked body against his. She was cool and he was warm. Carol sighed and closed her eyes, Daryl was already snoring and she drifted off with a smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Daryl pulled the door open before Carol had a chance to knock. "Am I the first one here?" she asked, stepping inside and peeking around him. He didn't speak, just closed the door, backed her against it and started to kiss her. It had only been 2 days since they had last been together, but it had felt like an eternity to Carol and she could tell from the fervor of his kiss that Daryl had certainly missed her too. Whether it was lust, or more, he most definitely had been ready to pounce the second she arrived.

When he finally removed his tongue from inside her mouth and backed off, probably just for air, she spoke, "I'll take that as a yes." She was trapped between Daryl and the door, with nowhere to go even if she wanted to. She was certainly content to continue kissing him if they were alone, but she suspected others would start arriving any minute. "Maybe we should move away from the door, ya know, in case other people want to come in?"

"Great idea, away from the door. Come on," Daryl said, taking her hand. She had just enough time to kick off her shoes before he dragged her to the living room. He guided her to the couch, sat her down and resumed his exploration of her mouth with his tongue. As things got more intense he pushed her back onto the couch and positioned himself on top of her. For a while Carol just enjoyed the taste of him, the weight of his body pressing down on her, his hand rubbing her leg, and the growing distraction of something hard between them.

Eventually her senses kicked in and she broke the kiss. "Um, do you really want to answer the door with a giant boner?" she laughed.

"I was hoping you would take care of that for me, before I have to answer the door," he replied, nipping at her bottom lip.

Carol kissed him quickly before speaking, she couldn't help herself. "You said 730 and I didn't get here until 740. Others have to be here any second."

Daryl grinned at her, "Maybe I told everyone else 8..."

She sat up and pushed him away, "you gave us barely half an hour? That's it?"

"What? Half an hour is plenty of time," Daryl said.

"Maybe for you," she shot back.

He tried to kiss her again but she deflected him. "Seriously, we could fuck like 3 times in half an hour."

"You're on," Carol said, challenging him, knowing it was absolutely not possible for him to get off 3 times in 30 minutes. "But not now. Now you'll have to wait until later..." She stood up and smiled at him. "You'll have to go all evening wonder what I have on... Or don't have on... Under these clothes." Carol was teasing him. She was most definitely wearing panties, but with the amount of coverage they gave she might as well have been going commando.

Daryl stood and adjusted himself. He knew he wasn't winning the battle. "Well fuck, what am I going to do about this now?" he asked, pointing to his crotch.

"You'll be fine, sunshine. Just think about bloody walker guts and road kill," she offered, smiling to herself at the fact that Daryl had actually photographed road kill before. "Better do it fast," Carol said, hearing a knock at the door. "Just because I love you I'll go answer that while you get that thing calmed down."

She opened the door to find Glenn waiting. She smiled genuinely at one of her favorite people in the world. "Come in," she said, hugging him as he stepped inside. "Daryl is just looking for a new deck of cards or something," she said, making the first excuse that came to mind.

Before they had shut the door Tyreese and Bob showed up. The 4 of them headed to Daryl's rec room, where they would be playing poker, and the guys put their booze in the bar fridge. Daryl's bar was well stocked, but most of the time people just brought their own anyway. Carol hadn't brought anything because she was fully planning on staying sober enough to drive herself home later.

When Daryl entered, she tried not to make it too obvious while she checked out his groin area. It looked like he had things under control by that point. She smiled to herself when she realized that 10 seconds alone with him and she could have him right back to square one. She liked having that kind of control over him. So much so that she might actually give it a go later if the right moment arrived.

Rick, Michonne, Shane and Sasha arrived about 10 minutes later, pretty much at the same time, followed closely by Eugene, Phillip, Axel, Andrea and Lori. Maggie, Tara and Beth couldn't make it so they were only waiting on Hershel, Abe and Merle. Daryl had invited a few other cast members like T-Dog, Rosita, Karen and Dale, who said they may show up later, but couldn't say long.

Carol was impressed that so many of her co-workers, past and present could make it. But she knew they were in for a wild night. Merle, Shane, Daryl and Rick in the same room was rare but she had seen it a few times before and it could only be described as insanity.

After everyone got drinks and chatted for a bit Daryl got the poker game started. There were so many of them they had to start with 2 tables. Carol was sitting between Phillip and Rick. It felt like a testosterone invasion listening to the two of them banter and trash talk back and forth, but she adored both of them and thought it was kinda cute so she wasn't complaining. The rest of her table contained Merle, Eugene, and Sasha.

They started playing and she folded her first 3 hands. The next deal she was big blind and lucked out with a small pocket pair. It came around and she checked. When the flop came she hit trips. Carol bet big, but Merle stayed with her. Everyone else folded. The turn was a 10, which matched a card already in the flop giving her a full house. Carol went all in and Rooker called her. Carol flipped up her pair of 8s and showed him she had a full boat, 8s over 10s. "Aww Damn you," he said loudly, showing his hand. He had the other 8 and an Ace. Which gave him 2 pair. Carol grinned, thinking she was about to put Merle out of the game very early. When Eugene flipped the river Merle leapt to his feet in celebration and Carol groaned. It was another 10, which gave them both a full house 10s over 8s and left them with a split pot. "Booya! I'm still in this thang," he did a little dance before sitting back down. The other table was watching the theatrics. "Don't ever underestimate me," he teased Carol.

"You have a fucking horseshoe up that ass," Shane said. "She had you! You shouldn't have even played that hand when she went all in."

"You're going down Shaney boy," Merle shot back.

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you," Shane replied, going right for the sexual innuendos.

And so it begins, Carol thought with a smile. They played a few more hands before they were distracted by a commotion at the other table. It turned out that both Michonne and Daryl were all in. And she had a way better hand with only the river to come. Daryl had a pretty good chance of being put out and 30 seconds later he was done. "Fucking pocket aces screw me every time! Well, I guess I'll hit the bar," he grumbled. It wasn't a serious sort of game, but there was bragging rights and those were very important, especially to the guys. Carol knew that Daryl would be disappointed to be the first out.

The next hand Carol had a plan. She went all in with nothing after the turn and prayed someone would call her. Fortunately Phillip did. "Shit, I was really hoping you would fold," she said, pretending to be disappointed. "I was bluffing." Carol laid her hand down, she had absolutely nothing. Phillip had already won, without even having to see the last card. Carol sighed with defeat and left the table, joining Daryl over at the bar.

"You did that on purpose," he whispered as she arrived.

Carol narrowed her eyes, "How do you know? You can't even see what's going on from over here." Daryl poured her a drink. "No thanks," she declined, "I'm driving home tonight."

He shrugged, finished his drink quickly and started the one he poured her. "You're a great poker player and very conservative. You don't bluff, ever."

"Well look what happens when I do?" Carol said sweetly. They were sitting behind the bar, where no one could see what their hands were doing so she lightly touched his knee. "Now I'm free to move to the living room and relax, or play pool…"

She grabbed a bottle of water and he picked up his drink and they started to leave the room. Carol noticed Sasha had a huge stack as she was walking by. She stopped and hugged her. "Kick their asses," she said, hoping a woman would beat all the egotistical boys at the table.

They left the rec room and headed to the den area where the pool table was. It was pretty much the furthest room away from where the rest were, which was very convenient, considering that Carol planned on driving him crazy for as long as possible. Daryl always let her break so while he was setting it up she undid a button on her shirt. Carol looked down and wasn't satisfied, so she undid another.

She grabbed a cue and set up to shoot, giving him a full view down the front of her shirt. Her breasts were nicely plumped in a silky Victoria Secret push up. "Jesus, what are you up to woman?" Daryl groaned. He was on her immediately like a magnet drawn to metal, groping her ass and kissing her neck. He popped one more button and reached inside to fondle her breasts.

Carol slinked away reluctantly and did up her shirt. "Just checking to make sure you still want me," she said sweetly. He reached for her again and she let him, for a second. He started rubbing her ass and tried to reach down the back of her pants. "What are you doing?" she asked, pushing away his hand, and sneaking away from him again.

"I'm just checking things out," Daryl said. "Come on, just let me peek, get little tease of what I'm gonna see later."

Before she had a chance to answer Merle and Abe walked in the room. "She kickin your ass yet D?" Merle asked.

"Always, Bro," Daryl replied.

"I got the winner," Abe jumped in. Carol hadn't spent much time with him, but he was sweet and charming and she like him right from the start.

She made quick work of Daryl, quicker work of Abe but Merle gave her a run. At one point Daryl caught her eye and gave her a look that made her completely bomb and easy shot. She made a mental note to pay him back at some point.

As more and more people got beat out of the poker game the party started to rev up. Someone, not Daryl, since he was still watching her beat every challenger that came in, had cranked the tunes in the living room and they were blaring throughout the house on the speaker system he had set up in every room. Caryl guessed it was likely Glenn. He liked to play DJ if he could get his hands on the music supply.

Carol played a few more games before she excused herself still undefeated. She had to pee. The guest bathroom was occupied so she casually wandered into Daryl's bedroom and used the en suite. She thought about all the things that had happened in his room, his bed, his shower and before long she was flushed with desire for him. She wondered if anyone would miss her if she just stayed there until everyone was gone. She knew Daryl would eventually notice she was gone and he would come in there and find her. She flopped onto his bed and thought about what it would be like to fuck him, knowing that their friends and coworkers were in the next room. The thrill of the idea made her incredibly horny and that response terrified her. She jumped up, gathered herself and headed back out into the party zone.

Suddenly Carol had an idea to spice things up. She knew Daryl always had his phone close by so she pulled hers out of her pocket and sent him a text. He was in the same room so she watched him feel the vibration and look at his phone.

She watched his eyes widen when he read her words: _I wanna fuck._

His reply was quick: _Now? Where?_

 _Not right now, but if they don't leave soon… I'll take care of myself in your room._

Carol bit her lip to keep from laughing as she watched him choke on the sip of whiskey he just took. Rick patted him on the back and he whispered something in his ear. Carol narrowed her eyes, wondering what they were talking about. She figured it out quickly when she heard Rick mention to someone that Daryl was leaving early in the morning to drive to NYC.

Somehow Rick was able to work his magic and people started leaving. Carol lingered, pretending to help clean up as her friends slowly said their goodbyes and headed out. By the time it was only the three of them left it was close to 1am.

"You two owe me, big time," Rick said. "I'll collect when you're back in town," he looked at Daryl. "Dinner will do, I'd like a very large steak and a lot of alcohol." Carol kissed him on the cheek. "I love you," she said honestly.

Rick wrapped her in a hug. "Make sure that dumbass treats you right," he teased.

She watched while the men said their goodbyes. Rick would be headed back home to his family before long. Carol was pretty sure they had a con planned in Singapore in a couple months but it would be a long time for the boys to go without seeing each other.

Finally Daryl closed the door and it was just the two of them. He sighed and turned slowly to face her. "Remind me again why I decided to have a party?" he asked. "When all I wanted to do all night was find you and get your pants off."

"Shut up and get over here," Carol demanded. "You promised me 3 fucks in 30 minutes, clock starts now."


	18. Chapter 18

It wasn't surprising at all that round one was over quickly. They had been waiting all night to fuck so Daryl pretty much just bent her over and took her in the middle of the living room.

"I don't know if I should be excited or embarrassed that took less than 5 minutes," he said afterwards.

"Well it does give you 25 minutes to make up for it," Carol teased him. She was still highly skeptical they were going to get in 3 sessions in 30 minutes but she was okay with quality over quantity. Not that the first fuck wasn't good. It was exhilarating in fact, being wanted so badly that they barely got enough clothing out of the way before he was inside her. It was fast, furious and deliciously sexy. No, she was definitely not complaining.

"Come on, I'm gonna need porn to speed this up," Daryl said, leading her to the bedroom. Carol stripped off her clothes while he set up the television.

While he was absorbed in finding the right video she climbed into bed naked and started to touch herself. "You absolutely sure you need porn?" she asked, catching his attention.

Daryl did a double take when his brain caught up with what he just saw. "Uh, not if you're planning on keeping that up for a while," he replied tossing the remote aside, forgetting about pressing play. "Christ Carol, you make me fucking crazy," he groaned, taking off his own clothes and sitting on the bed to watch her.

She was laying with her legs spread, gently rubbing her clit in slow, easy circles with one hand and toying with a nipple with the other. She hadn't come when they fucked but she was insanely horny from the encounter. The way Daryl was looking at her should have made her self conscious but she was too turned on to care. She kept the slow easy pace for a little while, but when she felt like he might be ready she kicked it up a notch. She reached lower and slipped two fingers inside herself with a moan. She was wet and so ready to be fucked again, she just needed to get him there too.

Carol bucked her hips, coming up to meet the strokes from her own hand. She allowed all sorts of pleasurable noises to escape her lips, wanting to entice him with sounds too, not just the visual. She knew all guys liked dirty talk so as soon as she saw that Daryl was starting to grow she talked to him. "I want to see you grab your dick and stroke it, nice and slow," she purred, slipping her wet fingers out and moving back to her clit. "Yeah, that's it," she encouraged him as Daryl started to rub himself. "Mmm, yeah, think about how good it's gonna feel when you slide it into my wet pussy." Carol was often shocked at the words that came out of her mouth when she was turned on, but they were having the desired effect. He would be ready before she knew it.

Daryl moved to reach for her but she lifted a foot, putting it on his chest to restrain him. "Oh no, not yet. I like watching you masturbate, keep going," she said, voice low and husky with desire. "God you're beautiful," she sighed, staring at his strong hand, wrapped around his cock, the muscles of his bicep flexed perfectly as he beat himself up and down.

Carol had to stop touching herself or she was going to come. She wanted him inside her before she orgasmed so she beckoned him to her, "okay, that's enough, you've been a good boy. Now come here and be bad, very bad."

Daryl pushed her legs apart roughly and gave her a tantalizing lick in between before shoving into her with one swift thrust. She gasped as he filled her up far more than her fingers ever could. She wrapped her legs around his body, wanting to savor that delightful feeling. He reached for her and pulled her up into his arms.

He kissed her deeply while his hands roamed her body, rubbing, squeezing, massaging her all over. Daryl eased his legs out from under himself and lay back so Carol was on top. She gave him a bit of a pout, thinking she was going to have to do the work, until he put a hand on her chest, pushing her fully upright and started to thrust slowly. Her position allowed him to go deep, almost painfully deep, but it was so pleasurable the pain was of no concern. She let her body relax, as Daryl had her fully supported. She could feel herself getting wetter as he continued to move in and out. Carol threw her head back and focused on the way he was making her feel. She started to move with him and knew she was going to explode any second. As the orgasm ripped through her body she squeezed her eyes shut, wondering if he could feel the way her muscles were clenching around him.

Her heart was still pounding as she refocused her attention to Daryl. She reached around her own body and found his testicles, massaging them gently as he continued to fuck her. Carol assumed he would pick up the pace any second, but slow and steady apparently worked for both of them and she felt his balls tighten in her hand as Daryl grunted, releasing into her.

When she rolled off him, Carol reached for her phone, "hmm, too bad, only 5 minutes left now."

"Well fuck," Daryl said with a yawn. "5 years ago I could have done it," he laughed.

"It's okay, two outta three ain't bad," she joked, snuggling against him. "You did good." She knew he would gladly take her for round three if she stuck around long enough, but Carol also knew he had a long drive the next day and really should get some rest.

It suddenly struck her that in a few moments she was leaving and wouldn't see him again for a while. A sense of panic washed over her, but Carol used everything she had to fight it off. She busied herself by climbing out of bed and starting to put her clothes back on. "Hey, I never did get to check out the underwear," Daryl said, interrupting her.

Carol hadn't put them on yet so she picked them up and flung them at him. "Keep them and think of me," she teased, slipping on her pants commando. He did that creepy guy thing again where he smelled them and smiled.

Daryl set them on his night stand with his phone and got up to put on his pants. When she was dressed they looked at each other for a moment, but neither of them could think of the right thing to say. She turned and started toward the front door. He followed close behind. She put her hand on the door knob and froze, then slowly turned to face him. "I guess this is goodbye," Carol said.

"Yeah," Daryl replied, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "I'll call once I get settled. And who knows, I'm sure I'll forget something important here and have to come back for it," he joked with a little laugh.

Carol couldn't help but hope that was true. She knew it was going to come to this eventually. They had a lot of fun the last few weeks, but that's all it was. Just fun. Nothing more. At least as far as Daryl was concerned. She had no doubt the second he was back in town, unless one of them happened to be attached, that things would pick back up where they left off. But it didn't help the ache she was feeling inside.

Daryl stepped forward and pulled her into a warm hug. "I'll miss you," he whispered gently into her ear. Carol thought her heart was going to break into a million pieces hearing those words, even though she assumed he was either going to miss the sex or miss her friendship, like all the others he said goodbye to the night before.

It took her a second to gather her emotions enough to speak. "Me too," Carol replied, fighting the tears stinging her eyes. "Bye," she said, breaking the hug and taking off out the door. She refused to let him see her cry. In fact, before that moment she refused to cry at all. But the second she slid into her car and closed the door the tears started, followed by ugly, wracking sobs. After a moment or two she started to get angry with herself for crying, which only made her cry harder. She thanked the lord her windows were tinted and it was dark out.

Her phone buzzed with a text message. It was Daryl: _You okay?_ She read the words through blurred eyes.

 _Yes. But I shouldn't be texting and driving_ , she replied with a lie.

 _Okay. Be safe._

 _You too. Night._

 _Night._

Carol took a deep breath. She had calmed down enough to drive and she pulled away, not noticing that Daryl was watching her from the front door.

The next morning Carol woke fairly early. She hadn't slept well at all. She showered and got dressed, then attempted to use make up to disguise her puffy eyes. Carol decided to go for a drive to clear her mind. Maybe find somewhere to stop and take a walk. She drove and drove, mindlessly. Her tank was 3/4s full and she didn't have anywhere she needed to be.

Carol found herself near the spot that Daryl had taken her, his special spot. She wondered if she had subconsciously wanted to go there to feel close to him as she turned down the narrow path. When she got to the end she put the car in park, killed the engine and got out. She found a large rock near the edge and sat down, looking out at the city skyline off in the distance. She wondered if Daryl might show up and decided it was stupid. He had way more important things to worry about than coming to look at the city nostalgically. Besides, if he did come, would she be able to hold back the tears this time? Or would it just be another even more painful goodbye?

She stayed for a full hour before getting up and heading back towards her car. Carol was about to get in when she heard a vehicle coming towards her. Her heart rate picked up and she froze, waiting to see what the car looked like. It was him. It was Daryl's car. He really did come. She was suddenly gripped by terror and the desire to run and hide. But it was too late. He was there and he was getting out of his car and he was looking at her with the sexiest smile she had ever seen.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey, you came…" they both said at the same time. Carol laughed nervously, she hadn't meant to let that slip. She didn't want him knowing she had hoped he would be there. Too late, she thought, avoiding eye contact for a moment.

"Not that I'm complaining you're here, but you kinda ruined my plan," Daryl said, with a grin.

"Your plan?" she asked, perking up with curiosity.

"Come look at the view with me for a bit. Before I leave I'll show you what my plan was, deal?" Daryl replied.

"Deal," Carol agreed, walking back to the edge to admire the same view she'd been looking at for an hour. For some reason, with him beside her, it got a lot more interesting.

"I'm going to miss this," he said, looking off into the distance. He reached for her hand, knowing exactly where to find it without looking. "And this."

She couldn't speak and she couldn't look at him. Even having his hand in hers was putting her on the verge of tears. She silently cursed herself for being so damn girly. This wasn't like her. When Carol set her mind to something there wasn't much that could change it. But somehow Daryl was breaking through her plan of not crying over him, not expecting anything more and not missing him like a girl with a crush when he went to New York.

They stood there in silence, for a long time. Carol couldn't have even guessed how long, but it didn't matter, she could have stood there holding his hand all day and been perfectly content. Finally he lifted her hand, squeezed it and released her. "I probably should get going. Come, I'll give you the surprise now and then take off."

She followed him to his car and was shocked when he put a dozen roses in her hand. They were very heavy and she looked at him for explanation. "I was banking on you coming here sometime while I was gone. I had them put sand in the bottom so they hopefully wouldn't blow away." Daryl looked at her shyly. "I was going to leave them here in hopes you would find them and read the card." Carol reached for it, but he stopped her. "Just wait, take it home and read it later. Or at least wait until I'm gone, okay?" Daryl leaned in and hugged her, leaving a sweet kiss on her cheek. Carol knew there was a reason he didn't kiss her lips. If he did they wouldn't be able to stop. "Bye," he said with a little wave, ducking into his car.

Carol waved back and watched until the car was out of sight before letting the tear roll down her cheek. She hoped he would understand why she barely said two words to him the whole time. Then again, maybe it was better if he didn't understand. She knew once he got back to New York and back into his big city lifestyle he would be fine. He might miss her a bit at first, but he had a little black book full of sexy young women that would love to take his mind off her. Carol refused to be jealous. They had never made anything about their relationship exclusive. She was free to find a sexy young thing of the male variety to take her mind off Daryl if she wanted to. She wouldn't, but she could.

She climbed into her car and smelled the beautiful bouquet of roses. She noted that they were red, not yellow for friendship. She wasn't sure that thought had even crossed his mind but she still found it satisfying. Originally Carol was going to wait until she got home to open the card, but curiosity got the better of her. She found the little envelope, opened it and pulled out the card. It was in his handwriting and said: I'm thinking of you too. She was pretty sure her heart was going to explode and though Carol didn't want to read too much into it, how could she not? It was thoughtful, romantic and he'd never done anything like this for her before.

It just means you're closer friends than you were any other year when he's left, Carol told herself. Friends with benefits. He's going to miss the benefits of course. All her rationalizing didn't keep her from swiping at tears all the way home.

Frustrated with herself and in need of a good distraction Carol called a couple close girlfriends she hadn't seen in a while and made plans for dinner and a movie. In the meantime she busied herself showing her pets a little extra affection.

She opted to leave her phone at home and avoid all distractions for the evening. Carol was looking forward to gossip, laughter, popcorn and likely a little wine. She would not be thinking about Daryl. At least not for a few hours, she thought with a sigh.

 **DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL**

As Daryl drove away he hoped that Carol wouldn't think he was being egotistical with his surprise. She had seemed touched, not the least bit annoyed. But if she was irritated he hoped the card would at least make up for it a little.

He wasn't sure what to make of her mood. She had lied to him the night before that she was driving when he texted her, but Daryl knew she hadn't drove away yet. He assumed she didn't feel like talking to him for one reason or another and he could respect that. But she was so quiet at the lookout spot too and it just wasn't like her. He wondered if she was actually feeling something more for him but shooed that idea away. They had always been honest with each other and Carol was forward with him, she would have said something, he was sure of it. But then again, he hadn't told her anything different either. Probably because he wasn't willing to admit it, even to himself. If only she had said something though, it would have changed everything.

Daryl decided to distract himself by tweeting a trail of photos on his way home. He took pictures with fans at coffee shops and gas stations along the way and tweeted them out. Taking extra time with fans made the trip even longer so he made a stop over a hotel in Pennsylvania. He had planned on driving right through, but it would have been close to 3am before he hit the city.

Instead, he made himself comfy in a fancy hotel room, ordered room service and pulled out his laptop. Daryl went into his photos to see if there was anything he wanted to add to Instagram. He had just uploaded everything from his camera a few days ago, but hadn't had a chance to look through them. He started to scroll and stopped when he saw a photo of Carol. He had completely forgot about the photos he took of her several weeks earlier. He clicked on one to open it up and stared at her beautiful face.

He clicked a few times and brought up his favorite - the one he snapped just after he'd kissed her. Daryl looked at his phone and thought about calling her, but it was already after 1am and he assumed she would be sleeping anyway. He stared at the photo a little longer. He just couldn't bear to close it. It made him feel close to her, even though she wasn't there.

"What is wrong with you?" Daryl asked out loud. She's beautiful, funny, kind, sexy… She's perfect, he thought. What are you waiting for? he asked himself. When he actually thought about her mood that morning, there really only was one explanation - she was going to miss him. Daryl didn't want to see it at the time, but she had tears in her eyes.

Suddenly he was completely ramped up. He might as well have got back in his car and

started driving because he wasn't going to get any sleep. There was a plan formulating in his mind and he closed the photos, opened firefox and started to work.

 **CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL -CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL**

It was over 40 hours since Carol had said good-bye to Daryl at the look-out spot. She had to admit that she was surprised he hadn't called or at least texted. She had followed his trail of tweets the day before and noticed he had stayed over at a hotel somewhere. She bitterly wondered if he was alone or not?

She decided to make herself a coffee and read a good book before bed when she was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. Carol had to calm herself down before answering when she noticed it was him. "Seriously, when the fuck did I turn into such a complete girly girl?" she asked her pup, who barked in response. She took a deep breath and answered,

"Hello?"

"Hey, are you home?" Daryl's voice said quickly into the phone when she answered.

"Uh, yeah, why?" Carol asked, wondering what was so urgent.

"Oh good," he said with relief. "There's going to be a knock on your door any second."

Carol looked up in shock at the rap on the door following his words. She walked to the door and looked out to see a UPS delivery man standing there with an envelope. She opened the door and he handed her the envelope and held out a machine to sign her name. She politely said goodbye to him and closed the door. "What is this?" she asked into the phone, directing her attention back to Daryl.

"Open it," he replied.

Carol tore into the envelope and pulled out a plane ticket. She looked at it and realized it was a round trip to JFK International. Departure date was the next morning. "Daryl, what's going on?" she asked, as her heart rate picked up. It didn't matter what was going on, she would definitely be excited to see him.

"I want to introduce you to my brother, sister in law and my nephew," Daryl answered.

Carol laughed, "But I've already met them, a couple times, you know that."

"Yep, I know," he said. "But I want to introduce you," he paused for a moment. "As my girlfriend." Carol gasped audibly. "Will you come?"

"Yes, yes of course," she replied quickly, a huge grin spreading across her face. "But, Daryl, are you sure this is what you want? When the media find out, it's going to be crazy."

He laughed. "You know I'm fine with crazy media, but are you?"

She thought for a minute. She really wasn't a fan of the insanity that Daryl dealt with everywhere he went, but if it was a choice between that and him… there was no question what she would choose. "I guess I'll have to be," she teased.

"Good. Go rest up, I booked you on the earliest flight I could get," Daryl said.

"I see that," Carol replied, looking at the ticket again. "I can't wait to see you," she said softly.

His voice was low and sexy, "me neither. Night Carol."

"Night," she whispered, hanging up. Carol stared at the phone wondering what the fuck just happened. She knew she had the stupidest grin on her face but she couldn't wipe it off. Not that it mattered, it was only her pets that would see it and they already knew she was nuts. She went to the bedroom and started to pack. It took far longer than it should have because she packed outfits, second guessed herself, took them out, packed different outfits only to go back to the original ones again.

Carol set out her outfit for the morning and finally she was done. Before calling it a night she picked up her phone for a quick peek. She had a few twitter notifications, one showing that Daryl tweeted something. She touched the twitter symbol and slid her finger across to open it.

"Oh shit," she muttered out loud. The tweet read: Picking up my new girlfriend at JFK in the morning. Can't wait. "Oh Daryl, what has he done?" she said to Savannah, scratching her head. Carol knew the airport would be packed with crazy fans trying to catch a glimpse of Daryl and the mystery girl. Not only fans, but press too likely. The whole world was about to find out and Carol was suddenly terrified. She had kept her private life private for well, her entire life so far.

She took a deep breath and turned out the light. Carol knew whether it was tomorrow, the next day, a few weeks down the road, if she wanted to be with Daryl people were going to find out. Might as well be sooner rather than later, she thought, somehow falling to sleep quickly despite the nerves and excitement.

The flight was smooth. They took off on time and arrived at the gates of JFK a bit ahead of schedule. First Class got to deplane first, so Carol took a huge deep breath, shouldered her purse and prepared to enter the madness. "Jesus Christ," she muttered when she saw the mob of people in arrivals. She was pretty sure she was going to puke from nerves. She looked towards the middle of the mob and saw him, handsome and smiling, signing autographs for fans.

Someone shouted her name and Carol waved with a smile. It caught Daryl's attention and he searched the crowd until he found her. When their eyes met she felt her heart flutter. It was so damn cliché, but she felt like she was acting out a scene from a cheesy chick flick.

Daryl handed back the sharpie he was holding and started to move in her direction. The crowd actually parted and she heard people whispering. Someone shouted "Oh my God, Caryl2!" and she heard lots of people mumbling things about them. But as Daryl got closer the sounds of the crowd faded away into the background. The way he was looking at her made Carol want to run to him.

When Daryl was close enough he still didn't stop, he kept walking until she was snuggled tightly in his arms. The flashes going off were almost blinding, but Carol ignored them. "Hey," he whispered in her ear, nuzzling her cheek with his rough stubble.

"Hey," she whispered back.

"I want to kiss you. Is that okay?" Daryl asked, his breath warm on her ear.

She was thankful he was thoughtful enough to ask, knowing their photo would be plastered all over in internet instantly. But there was no way she was letting him go until they kissed anyway so she replied in her sassiest voice, "what are you waiting for?"

His lips were on hers in less than a second. Those familiar lips she had missed so much, even though they were only apart a few days. Carol completely forgot they were surrounded by people as she returned his kiss passionately, their tongues sliding, exploring and tasting each other. It wasn't until they parted, breathless, and rested their foreheads together that Carol heard the hoots and hollers from the crowd. She blushed fiercely, and Daryl noticed. "Focus on me. I love you."

She back away enough to stare at him for a second in shock. He was grinning at her with that look that drove her crazy. Carol wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I love you too," she said, in a voice only he could hear. Daryl squeezed her tighter.

"Listen, we're meeting Sam for lunch and after that…" he ran a hand suggestively down her back, resting it low, just barely above her ass, "I want to take you home and make love to my girlfriend."

"On one condition," Carol said, trying to look serious. "No more twitter today, please?"

Daryl grabbed his phone and tucked it in her back pocket, then patted her ass, "deal." He took her hand and they hopped on the back of a security golf cart that was waiting. Carol couldn't remember ever being so happy and so terrified all at the same time.

 _Oh, the blues will be blue and the jealousies green_

 _But when love picks its shade it demands to be seen_

 _Oh, the red strokes Passions uncaged_

 _Thundering moments of tenderness rage…_


	20. Chapter 20

_AN: I decided to just finish posting this one today and focus on finishing up the others I'm working on and get into the new one I started. Thanks so much for reading. I hope everyone had a healthy and happy holiday season. XOXOXO_

 **Epilogue**

It was a chance meeting, unplanned and surprising, though somewhere inside Daryl thought about words like destiny and fate. It was late and the streets of downtown Senoia were pretty much deserted. This area of Georgia was still somewhere Daryl would be easily recognized and mobbed for autographs, even though things were much calmer now in other parts of the country. The first couple years after the show ended were much the same as when it was still airing, but after that things started to slow. Fans found new shows to watch and new actors to fall in love with.

Playing a character like Daryl Dixon was both a blessing and a curse. When it ended he was a TV star pushing 50. The movie roles were small and scarce, and no new TV series would take him because he would always be the iconic Redneck in the eyes of the viewers. Why risk giving him the role when there were hundreds of others with just as much talent looking to make a break?

Daryl had spent the last month or so reflecting on his life and where to go from there. He was rich, single and unemployed. Did he continue to try to get back in the spotlight? Or was it time to settle down?

His gypsy soul had already lost him the most special thing he'd ever had in his life. Things with Carol had been wonderful for a time. But once the Walking Dead ended she took a job behind the scenes in Atlanta, like she'd done before she landed the role. Carol was quite content to go back to a routine, normal life. She never liked the spotlight like he did. Daryl still wanted to work and he was always off in LA or New York shooting small roles and auditioning for bigger ones.

They tried to make it work. They tried really hard for a year. But Daryl soon recognized the toll it was taking on her. At that time he wasn't ready to give up his career and she understood that. After a long night of tears they parted amicably, promising to keep in touch. They tried that for a while too but it became too difficult for both of them. Each time they met they would fall right back in love and after a night or two of passion they essentially had to break up all over again.

If Daryl was honest with himself she was the reason he was back in Georgia. He'd told himself he was there to immerse himself in the feel of the past before he decided if he was ready to give it up. But truly, as he walked down the lonely streets it wasn't his work he thought about, it was her. The cafe where they often ate lunch, the park she always took her dog to, and her favorite coffee shop. That's where he stood, wondering if it would be too difficult to go in or if he needed to be somewhere he could feel her presence.

He never intended to bother her on his visit. Daryl could have easily picked up his phone, dialed Carol's number and he knew she would have come to him - she always did. And that was why he couldn't do it. But when he caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette in the window, mug in one hand and a book in the other, curled in one of the comfy chairs the coffee bar offered, he was drawn inside.

Daryl watched her from afar for a few minutes. She had no idea he was there and it gave him time to admire her, while getting up the nerve to go say hello. Carol was flawless. She aged so gracefully, getting more beautiful every time he saw her. It wasn't the same for him. Daryl knew he was still a good looking man, but he was a good looking man who looked like he would be 50 soon. It took a while for him to get over his ego as his age started to show, but he had come to terms with it.

It had been a long time since they had even spoken. He still sent her the odd text message on her birthday or special occasions, and Carol did the same, but an actual face to face conversation... It could be very close to a year since that happened.

He'd never been nervous to talk to Carol before. They had a connection that would never go away no matter how long they'd been separated. But standing there, looking at her, questioning his life and his future, Daryl was overwhelmed with the sense that everything hinged on this very conversation. He was also floored with a need to have her in his life once again. It just took laying his eyes on her for a minute or two to bring back every ounce of love and desire he'd ever had for her.

Daryl's chest tightened and he almost bolted from the building. He suddenly felt like an ass for letting her go all those years ago. Did he ever think he was going to find anyone more perfect? It wasn't about that really, it was about his career, but how could he have ever put that before the gorgeous, talented, brilliant woman who loved him with everything she had?

He had no idea what she'd been up to in the last 10 months or so. Had she found someone new? Fallen in love? Did he treat her better? Put her first like she deserved? Did Daryl even have the right to chance taking that away from her? What if she was already happy?

Daryl took one step towards the door but stopped. What if she felt the same way he did? What if he would always have a part of her heart? What if she thought about him whenever she was sad and lonely? Wished she could call him and they could start over?

It wouldn't be selfish of him to take away what she already had if he could give her what she truly desired - him. Daryl was confident he wanted her and nothing else. Every thought that had been tangled up in his mind had finally come undone. Carol was in the middle and all roads led straight to her. He was ready and willing to give her anything she wanted. He would move back to Georgia if that's where she wanted to be. He would settle down. He would find a job locally just like she had. Or invest his money and give his time to charities in the area. It really didn't matter. He would sleep in a cardboard box in the rain if that's what he had to do to get her back.

Daryl knew he was getting way ahead of himself. Maybe too much time had passed. Maybe she didn't feel the same way. Maybe too much damage had been done and there was no way she would trust him again. His thoughts were interrupted by the lone employee, "can I get you something sir?"

Daryl didn't turn, he continued to stare at Carol. The voice had caught her attention and she looked up from her book. When she saw him a look of shock crossed her face and the book fell from her hands to the floor. "Daryl?" she whispered. Even from a distance he could hear her voice saying his name and it sent an electric jolt through his entire body. He couldn't move, even when she stood. The next thing he knew she was smiling and barreling towards him, flinging herself into his arms so hard he almost toppled over with the force.

Was this real? Was he really holding Carol in his arms? Was she really saying how much she missed him? There was only one way to find out. Daryl didn't care if the one person in the place was watching - he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. The instant their lips met it felt like every other kiss they'd shared: comfortable, passionate, perfect. It wasn't the least bit awkward or out of practice - it was natural, as if they'd been doing it all along.

He kissed her tenderly and Carol responded by parting her lips slightly. It didn't in anyway seem like she wasn't enjoying it or wanted him to stop. So he didn't. Instead Daryl took it a bit further, pushed the boundaries to a kiss that Carol would feel very guilty about if she was attached to another man. She gasped as his tongue entered her mouth but she made no move to pull away or stop him. She wanted the kiss every bit as much as he did, that much was clear.

Daryl continued to kiss her more passionately with each passing second, pulling her flush against his body and sliding his hand up her back until he found the curls at the base of her neck. He always loved playing with those tiny curls.

When he realized he might pass out soon if he didn't come up for air Daryl reluctantly broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers so they both could catch their breath. "Hi," he whispered, stroking her cheek with his fingertip.

"Hey," Carol responded. He could feel her warm breath on his lips when she spoke, reminding him just how close they were and fuelling his desire to kiss her again. But he realized they had an audience, a tiny one, but an audience nonetheless. It reminded him of a moment that seemed like only yesterday when he met Carol in the airport and kissed her in front of a huge crowd of fans. It was the day they'd made their relationship official to the world. Could this possibly be a day just like that again? Was there any chance that kiss, with only one witness, was a new beginning for them.

"Holy crap, are you two back together again?" the kid behind the counter exclaimed.

Carol took care of it. "Brandon, my dear sweet Brandon, if any rumours end up on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or any other social media site- I know where to find you," she warned. It was good humoured yet obvious she was serious. Daryl sensed the two of them had a good relationship.

"Of course not Ma'am," Brandon replied with a smile. "My lips are sealed."

"It's not your lips I'm worried about, it's that iPhone and those texting fingers," she teased.

"I promise, I won't say a word... As long as you promise you'll tell me everything..." He waggled his eyebrows.

Carol laughed, "we'll see." She took Daryl's hand, "let's get out of here." As she started towards the door she called back to Brandon, "keep my book safe? And I promise when I come back to get it there will be a big tip for you."

"I think he might have a crush on you," Daryl teased when they got outside.

Carol shook her head, "I'm just a great tipper."

The conversation came easy like he knew it would. But on the inside he was bubbling with excitement and dying to know what she was thinking. "Where are we going?" Daryl asked, strolling beside her.

"I hadn't really thought that far ahead," she said, laughing. "I was just so excited to see you. I know I said it already, but… I really have missed you Daryl," she added the last part softly.

"I've missed you too," Daryl replied, reaching for her hand. Carol let him take it just like she always had and without a thought he linked their fingers. Anyone who saw them would instantly think they were lovers out for a stroll and Daryl hoped with all his heart there was some truth to that. "How about that gazebo?" he suggested. "Is it still there?" Just one block over from where they were there was a tiny, rarely used park. He never could figure out why people didn't go there. Maybe because it was too small for dogs to run around and there was no play equipment for kids. Or the fact that there was another much larger park another block or two away.

"Yeah, I think so," Carol said. They turned at the next street and walked silently hand in hand to the white wooden structure.

Daryl took a seat on the bench and she sat beside him. She was too far away as far as he was concerned. "Come a little bit closer," he whispered. "I don't bite."

"Yes you do," Carol said with a smile as she scooted closer, so their knees were almost touching.

Daryl looked at her, so beautiful, moonlight shining in her eyes from the huge Harvest Moon hanging in the sky and he had no idea where to begin. Might as well go right for the bullseye he thought. "Carol, I'm still in love with you. I honestly don't think I've ever stopped loving you…" he said, reaching a hand out to cup her cheek. "I don't know if you have someone else… I don't know if you would ever take a chance on me again… I don't know if you even love me still… but I need you to know that you're the only thing that matters to me right now," Daryl stopped and took a breath. "And I'm the biggest asshole on the planet for ever letting you go in the first place."

Carol leaned into his hand and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I knew you'd come back," she said simply. Daryl felt his heart swell so big in his chest that he couldn't catch his breath for a moment. She pulled his hand from her cheek and held it in her lap. "If I'm being honest, I was getting really tired of waiting… wondering if you were ever coming around again… I had so much faith early on, but these past few months it was fading." Carol brushed away a tear. "I was feeling so alone… waiting and waiting for you, and you never came… I started to question everything I believed in my heart, assumed I was crazy, and I tried Daryl, I tried to move on. But it only took one date with someone else to make me realize you're the only one I want." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She believed all along he'd come back to her? What kind of woman has that much faith?

"Why didn't you call me?" Daryl asked in confusion.

"You chose to go," she said. "It had to be your choice to come back." She made perfect sense and her words made him feel like even more of an asshole. "I don't know if you believe in destiny or fate or soulmates…" she began. "I mean, until we fell in love I thought it was all a bunch of bullshit. But the day you left the first time I wasn't nearly as sad as I should have been because in my heart I knew someday you'd come back."

"But how can you just forgive what I did?" Daryl blurted out. "I put my career before you. I was an asshole. How can you ever trust me again?"

Carol shrugged, "I don't know… I just do."

He dropped to his knees between her legs and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head against her chest. "I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you," Daryl said, backing away to look up at her. Before he had a chance to think things through there were words flying out of his mouth that only a few hours ago he would have never thought he'd ever have a chance to say to her. "Marry me Carol," he said, taking her hand, excitement rippling through him. Every bit of reflection he'd taken in the past few months had all led to this moment. It was impulsive, hasty, spontaneous and completely unplanned. It was utterly insane. But it felt right. Nothing had ever felt more right in his entire life.

"I don't have a ring…" he muttered. "I didn't even know I was going to see you tonight… I didn't know any of this was even possible… but I love you, with all my heart. I always have and I always will. And I will put you first, I promise."

"Yes," she said, smiling down at him.

"Yes… yes what?" Daryl's brain was not functioning. But eventually he put it together. "Yes? Really? It's a yes?" He stood and pulled her into his arms. "I love you," he gushed softly into her ear.

"I love you too," she replied. "There's… uh… something else I've missed…" Carol said, slipped her hand between their bodies and cupping his package.

"Carol," he feigned shock. "Here I am proposing to you in romantic fashion and you're thinking about sex?"

She rolled her eyes and then gave him a wicked smile, "you know, they say the sex drive of a middle aged woman can sometimes rival that of a teenage boy…"

"Fuck, you make me crazy Woman," Daryl growled. "Let's get the hell outta here." He grabbed her hand again. As they stepped out from the cover of the gazebo Daryl noticed a misty rain had started. "Your place or mine?" he asked.

"Your car is gonna have to do," she replied saucily. The rain started to come down harder and they ran. By the time they made it to his car they were both damp. He pushed her up against the car and moved to her mouth, kissing her deeply, tasting the rain on her lips and the remnants of whatever coffee she'd been drinking earlier on her tongue. The parking lot was deserted and fairly dark. Daryl was close enough to the car with the keys in his pocket that it unlocked when he pulled the handle to the back seat door.

Then next few minutes were a blur of lust and passion, while satisfying a craving they both had been missing for too long. Her tongue in his mouth, her tits in his hand, her hips grinding against him. His dick buried deep inside her, his hair tangled in her fingers, his lips sucking on her neck. The windows were steamed in an instant. If anyone was close they would have heard, moans, sighs, and noises bordering on screams.

When it was over they were both panting, bodies gleamed with sweat from the exertion of giving everything the other craved. Daryl was suddenly overwhelmed with all that had transpired in the past hour or so. His heart started to pound even harder and panic set in. "Is this really happening?" he asked, looking into Carol's eyes to find the comfort and solace he needed. It was always there. Carol pinched his ass and giggled. "Ow," Daryl squeaked.

"Yep, I think it's real," she teased.

"I fucking love you," Daryl said, kissing her softly.

"I fucking love you more," was her reply when he finally released her lips. Daryl found his pants and pulled out his cell phone. "What are you doing?" Carol asked.

"Don't blink, okay?" he said, zooming in on her eye and snapping a picture. The flash was bright but somehow he managed to take the perfect picture of one of her gorgeous blue eyes. He opened Instagram and uploaded the photo with a caption, then sent it as a tweet.

"I thought maybe you'd outgrown social media by now," Carol teased him. "What did you do?" she sighed with a smile. Daryl turned the phone and showed her the Tweet: _She said… YES!_

One word from her lips started a new and amazing chapter of his life and Daryl was absolutely sure the best was yet to come.

 _Steam on the window_

 _Salt in a kiss_

 _Two hearts have never_

 _Pounded like this…_


End file.
